LAHORE: An anti-corruption court on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
On Monday, the court had reserved its verdict for today after the conclusion of arguments by the defence and prosecution.
COMPLAINANT WITHDRAWS STATEMENT
In a previous hearing of the sugar mills case, complainant Zulfiqar Ali backtracked from his earlier statement during cross-examination. He informed the court that he had no knowledge of the case and submitted an affidavit clarifying that the construction of a wastewater drain in Chiniot did not cause any financial loss to the national exchequer. Zulfiqar further stated that he was unaware of the details mentioned in the petition and, therefore, wished to withdraw it.
RAMZAN SUGAR MILLS REFERENCE
On October 17, an accountability court transferred the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference to the anti-corruption court, citing lack of jurisdiction. The move came after amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, which restricted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from prosecuting cases involving amounts less than Rs500 million. The alleged loss in this reference was below the prescribed threshold.
The NAB had initially filed the reference in 2018, accusing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of misusing his authority as Punjab chief minister. The bureau claimed that Shehbaz, along with his son Hamza, caused a Rs213 million loss to the national treasury by ordering the construction of a drain in Chiniot district for the benefit of Ramzan Sugar Mills, which is owned by his sons, Hamza and Suleman.
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