LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday allowed anapplicationfiled by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz seeking the return of Rs70 million deposited as surety for bail in theChaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Thecaseby the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) pertains to alleged money laundering. income beyond means via “dubious”business transactionsof the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, of which Maryam was a major shareholder.
At the outset of the hearing. a NAB deputy prosecutor submitted anaffidavitto an LHC full bench about thewithdrawalof itspleabefore the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) challengingdirectivesfor the closure of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills investigation against Maryam.
At this. Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, who headed the bench, accepted Maryam’s application with instructions to the registrar’s office to return the surety amount.
Justice Muhammad Jawad Zafar and Justice Abher Gul Khan were the other members of the bench.
The chief minister. through her counsel Javed Arshad, had filed the application after an accountability court in Marchalloweda NAB request for the closure of the investigation against her.
The accountability court had declared. Maryam may withdraw her surety bond of Rs70 million furnished against the post-arrest bail granted to her in the case.
The NAB had filed the case termination application following aFebruary 4 directivefrom the LHC to place a termination report before the accountability court for the closure of the investigation as required under the law.
A NAB team hadarrestedMaryam in connection with the case on Aug 8. 2019 when she was present at the Kot Lakhpat jail on her weekly visit to her incarcerated father, Nawaz Sharif.
On Nov 4, 2019, the LHCreleasedMaryam in the case on bail, subject to surrendering her passport to the court. She was also ordered to deposit a surety amount of Rs70m with the judicial registrar of the court.
In October 2022. the LHC directed officials toreturnthe passport to Maryam after the NAB said it did not require the travel document anymore.
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