Daily Times

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday accepted hearing a petition by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the cancellation of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar will hear the petition moved by NAB on March 15.

The petition claimed that Maryam had been released on bail over money laundering charges in the CSM case. It quoted NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal as saying that since her bail, Maryam had been “continuously attacking state institutions” and making statements against them on media and social media.

“Maryam Nawaz is also engaged in anti-state propaganda,” the NAB chairman said in the petition.

The petition added that Maryam had not responded to NAB notices sent on January 10, 2020, to provide documents in the CSM case.

Furthermore, she “used her political power and attacked the NAB office” when she was summoned in person on August 11, 2020, for not providing her documents, according to the petition.

“Maryam Nawaz’s bail in the CSM money laundering case should be cancelled,” the petition prayed.

Maryam was arrested by NAB in the CSM case in August 2019. The accountability watchdog suspects her of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts as one of the main shareholders of the mills.

She was later released on bail in November 2019 by a two-member LHC bench, comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem.

Meanwhile, PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Marriyum Aurangzeb said the move was an attempt by the watchdog to “muzzle” Maryam.

“The law is present, the government can initiate proceedings against her. If any other institution is aggrieved […] then they can do so as well,” said Abbasi.

He asked whether the NAB chairman had “ever read the law”, adding that it was up for debate whether the petition was sent at the chairman’s behest.

He said that neither the government nor any institution had raised any concerns regarding Maryam while the NAB chairman was the only one seemingly aggrieved. Abbasi alleged that the petition amounted to nothing more than an effort to curry favour with the government and institutions.