Daily Times

Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) granted bail for Hamza Shahbaz ,PML-N leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly for Ramzan Sugar Mills case on Thursday.

A two-member bench of the LHC, headed by Justice Mazhar Ali Naqvi, conducted a hearing into the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

In the Ramzan Sugar Mill, Hamza and his father Shehbaz Sharif are accused of making a drain in Chiniot which benefitted the sugar mill. Shehbaz had been indicted in the sugar mills case along with his father, former Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on April 9 last year.

His bail petition in the second case will be heard on February 11.

The petition further stated that the bureau had failed to find any irregularity. “The nullah was built in tehsil Bhawana in the public interest,” the petition said.

On February 18, 2019, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against Hamza and Shehbaz, alleging the former chief minister Punjab misused his authority and got constructed a 10-km sludge carrier in the Chiniot district to facilitate Ramzan Sugar Mills, owned by his sons.

The bureau had alleged that the step inflicted a loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer.

On April 17 2019, Hamza was granted pre-arrest bail by LHC, which also restrained NAB from arresting him in cases pertaining to ownership of assets beyond means, until further notice. Hamza was also directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs10 million at the time.