Shehbaz, Hamza acquitted in corruption reference
LAHORE:
An anti-corruption court in Lahore on Thursday approved the plea of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz for acquittal in the Ramzan Sugar Mills drain case filed by NAB about eight years ago.
Anti-Corruption Court Judge Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Dogar pronounced the verdict, which had been reserved since February 3. The judge acquitted Shehbaz and Hamza, ruling that punishment was unlikely in the case against them.
On July 11, 2017, NAB had initiated inquiry on allegations that Shehbaz Sharif, the then Punjab chief minister, and Hamza got a drain constructed in 2015for the family's Ramzan Sugar Mills in Chiniot at the government expenses, hence causing a loss to Rs 213 million to the national exchequer.
Shehbaz was arrested by NAB on October 5, 2018. Shehbaz and Hamza were indicted on corruption charges on April 9, 2019, after which Hamza was also arrested on June 11, 2019. Both were re-indicted in case on August 6, 2020, after new evidence led to a supplementary reference filed in the court.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed hailed the verdict and congratulated PM Shahbaz and Hamza for their acquittal in the case. Senior Punjab Minister Maryam Aurangzeb also hailed the acquittal of the Sharifs.
Talking to a private TV channel, she highlighted that no wrongdoing by Shehbaz and Hamza was proven in the court. Aurangzeb lambasted the PTI, stating that the case was a "prime example of political vendetta" by then prime minister Imran Khan.
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