Ashiana Scam: Court extends Shehbaz Sharif’s remand

LAHORE, Oct 16 (APP):An accountability court on Tuesday
extended physical remand of opposition leader in the National
Assembly Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for another 14 days in
Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scam.
Earlier, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials
produced Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif before Accountability Court
Judge Syed Najamul Hassan on expiry of ten-day remand.
The NAB prosecutor submitted that investigations were
ongoing from the PML-N leader,and further remand was
required for the purpose. He submitted that Shehbaz had
expressed ignorance to the questions asked by the
investigators.
However,Shehbaz’s counsel opposed the plea saying that
NAB failed to prove anything against his client during
the past ten days.He pleaded with the court to send the
accused to jail on judicial remand. Shehbaz Sharif denied
his involvement in the scam on the occasion.
The court,after hearing arguments,reserved its decision
on remand request for some time but later extended the remand
for another 14 days.The court directed NAB officials to produce Shehbaz
again on expiry of the remand term on Oct 30.
Strict security arrangements were made inside and outside
the court premises on the occasion. Hamza Shehbaz was also
present in the court.
It is pertinent to mention here that NAB had arrested Shehbaz
Sharif on Oct 5 after he appeared before NAB combined
investigation team in the Saaf Pani corruption case at the
accountability watchdog’s Lahore office.
Shehbaz was allegedly involved in corruption of Rs 14
billion Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing and Rs 4 billion
Punjab Saaf Pani Company scams.
He had previously appeared before NAB on a couple of
occasions in both the cases and recorded his statement.
Senior bureaucrat Fawad Hassan Fawad and Lahore
Development Authority (LDA) former director general Ahad
Cheema and others had been already arrested in connection
with the housing scam.
NAB launched an investigation into the scam in November
last after receiving a number of complaints in this regard.