Anti-Corruption Court Judge Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Dogar announces reserved verdict
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Feb 6th, 2025) An Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
Anti-Corruption Court Judge Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Dogar announced the verdict reserved earlier.
On July 11, 2017, NAB Lahore initiated an inquiry into the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz constructed a drain in Chiniot for the Ramzan Sugar Mills in 2015, causing a loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer.
Shehbaz Sharif was arrested by NAB on October 5, 2018.
Hamza Shehbaz was arrested in connection with the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference on June 11, 2019. The Lahore Accountability Court indicted Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz on April 9, 2019. After the emergence of new evidence and the filing of a supplementary reference, fresh indictments were issued on August 6, 2020.
On February 14, 2019, a two-member bench of the Lahore High Court approved Shehbaz Sharif's bail, after he remained in custody for four months and nine days in the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference.
On February 6, 2020, another two-member bench of the Lahore High Court granted bail to Hamza Shehbaz, who had been in custody for seven months and 26 days. Following amendments to NAB laws, the Lahore Accountability Court returned the reference to NAB on September 11, 2022.
However, after the Supreme Court annulled the NAB Amendment Act, the reference was sent back to the Accountability Court for hearing on September 22, 2023. The Supreme Court later reinstated the NAB amendments on September 6, 2024.
On October 17, 2024, the Lahore Accountability Court transferred the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference to the Anti-Corruption Court. The case was heard 105 times in the Lahore Accountability Court and 13 times in the Anti-Corruption Court.
