An accountability court on Monday allowed exemption to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif from personal appearance in Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
The accountability court judge announced the reserved verdict and allowed the plea seeking permanent exemption of PM Shehbaz from personal appearance in Ramzan Sugar Mills reference.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz appeared before an accountability court in a case related to the Ramazan Sugar Mills. The judge of the Accountability Court Sajid Ali Awan heard the case.
The counsel representing Shehbaz Sharif concluded his arguments about the PM’s permanent exemption from personally attending the hearings. The counsel asked the court to allow PM’s representative Mohammad Nawaz to appear in court in his place.
“Shehbaz Sharif is the prime minister of Pakistan, he has never taken any wrong advantage of the bail,” he said.
Taking to the rostrum, PM Shehbaz also pleaded his case and said that his schedule regarding the national duties was not hidden and that his plea would be rejected. He said he would keep on appearing before the court.
He said that he approved to apply taxes on sugar mills and his son’s sugar mills also bore a loss of 2.5 billion rupees.
On the other hand, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor objected to the PM’s application for exemption from attending the hearing permanently. He said that no solid reasons were given by Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyer from which he could be allowed exemption from attending the hearings. He added that Shehbaz’s medical certificate was also not submitted with the application.
Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz filed an application seeking exemption from personal appearance in Monday’s hearing due to budget engagements.
PM Shehbaz and CM Hamza were indicted in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case in 2020.
