Ramzan Sugar Mills case: Court exempts PM Shehbaz to personally appear before court

• Judge Sajid Awan gave the verdict after counsel of PM Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz appeared before him
• Hamza’s counsel demanded a one day exemption.
• NAB alleged that the family members and benamidars of Shehbaz received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Monday exempted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from appearing before the court in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

Judge Sajid Awan gave the verdict after counsel of PM Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz appeared before him. The counsels maintained that due to office engagement and budget sessions, the premier and chief minister should be given exemption.

Hamza’s counsel demanded a one day exemption. Counsel Amjad Pervaiz maintained that PM Shehbaz has never misused exemption, in fact a pleader should be nominated for the case so that its hearings cannot be disrupted.

Read more: Shehbaz had never been director of Ramzan Sugar Mills, SECP official testifies before court

The NAB prosecutor rejected Shehbaz’s counsel plea and requested the court to not approve it as no medical certificate has been given to the court in that regard.

In its reference, the NAB alleged that the family members and benamidars of Shehbaz received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the bureau said, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in personal bank accounts of his sons Hamza and Suleman.