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An accountability court on Monday approved the closure of the investigation by the National Accountability Bureau in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case involving Maryam Nawaz and her father, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Dawn reported.
The case was related to allegations of money laundering and possessing assets beyond known sources of income through "dubious" business dealings linked to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, in which Maryam Nawaz was a major shareholder, as reported by Dawn. Accountability Court Judge Rana Arif announced the decision after hearing a plea filed by the NAB-Lahore seeking permission to close the investigation, Dawn reported. As per Dawn, during the previous hearing last week, the court had asked the counsel representing Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif to present their arguments on NAB's request to terminate the probe. While delivering the order, Judge Arif observed that the bureau's decision to close the investigation into the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case was in line with legal provisions. The court also noted that Maryam Nawaz could withdraw the surety bond of Rs70 million, that she had submitted while securing post-arrest bail in the case, as reported by Dawn. Earlier, both the NAB prosecutors and the legal counsel for the Punjab chief minister concluded their arguments before the court regarding the closure request, Dawn reported. As per Dawn, in its application, NAB stated that the Lahore High Court had directed the bureau to submit a termination report before the accountability court in order to formally close the investigation, as required under the law. The Lahore high court had issued the directive while hearing an application filed by Maryam Nawaz seeking the return of Rs 70 million that she had deposited as a guarantee for her post-arrest bail in the case, Dawn reported. As per Dawn, Maryam Nawaz had been arrested by NAB officials on August 8, 2019, in connection with the investigation while she was visiting her father at Kot Lakhpat Jail. She had arrived at the prison for her routine weekly meeting with Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by her daughter and cousin Yousaf Abbas. Subsequently, on November 4, 2019, the Lahore High Court granted Maryam Nawaz bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, directing her to surrender her passport and deposit Rs 70 million with the court's registrar as a condition for her release, as reported by Dawn. Later, in October 2022, a full bench of the Lahore High Court returned her passport after NAB informed the court that it no longer required the travel document for the investigation. (ANI)
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