NAB asked for record of Sharif family’s confiscated properties

LGC directed director general of the NAB to submit before the court the record of the Sharifs' ownership documents.

LAHORE: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday directed director general of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit before the court the record of the ownership documents and shares belonging to the Sharif family.

The properties had been confiscated by the Bureau in 2001. The Bureau was asked to submit the report by September 1.

The bench headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsan also directed the NAB to file its reply by the next hearing. NAB representative, Farrukh Raza Chaudhry, who will be appearing before the court, sought three weeks for filing the reply. The bench observed that the court had been seeking a reply since July 8 but had received none.

The bench is hearing seven identical appeals from members of the Sharif family including Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif, seeking release of their properties seized by the Bureau.

The Sharif family complained that the NAB was not releasing their properties in order to recover fines imposed by the accountability and anti-terrorism courts on PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif in cases of plane hijacking and purchase of a Russian helicopter.

Initially, these appeals were filed at the Rawalpindi bench of the LHC. Later these were transferred to the principal seat (Lahore) due to the unavailability of judges in Rawalpindi.

The appellants include Sabina Abbas, daughter of Mian Abbas, Hudabiya Paper Mills, Hudabiya Engineering Services, Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Ramazan Sugar Mills and Hamza Spinning Mills.

On July 22, 2000, an accountability court had sentenced Mian Nawaz Sharif to 14 years of  rigorous imprisonment and Rs20 million fine in the helicopter case. In the plane hijacking case, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi had convicted him on April 6, 2000, and sentenced him to life imprisonment, Rs500,000 fine and ordered the attachment of his movable and immovable property.

The conviction, however, was later set aside by the Supreme Court. The appellants submitted that despite the conviction being set aside by the apex court, NAB was not releasing the seized properties.

In the petition filed by Hudabiya Paper Mills through its secretary Syed Ajmal Sibtain and 15 shareholders, all members of the Sharif family, the company sought recovery of 7.07 million share certificates attached by the then director of NAB in Lahore, on May 16, 2001.

Shahbaz Sharif’ sought recovery of the original sale deed of Plot No 53-C of Damaged Area Scheme in Murree. The agreement was seized on January 16, 2002.

Sabina Abbas sought detachment of the sale deed of May 12, 1984, registered with sub-registrar of Murree in favour of the petitioner in respect of property No 54 on the Hill Road in Murree. Chaudhry Sugar Mills, sought the recovery of Rs5 million acquired by the NAB on April 6, 2002. Ramazan Sugar Mills sought recovery of Rs110 million taken in 2001 and 2002 .

The appellants argued that it was unlawful for NAB to recover the fines imposed on Nawaz Sharif from other members of his family.

Also, after Nawaz Sharif’s acquittal from the apex court, NAB should have released the attached property and shares, but had failed to do so despite repeated applications.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2010.