Lahore [Pakistan], December 23 : Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on Monday moved a plea to seek acquittal in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case, as per ARY News.
Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz filed pleas in the anti-corruption court via their lawyer Amjad Pervaiz. Pervaiz demanded acquittal of the father and son duo in the case citing absence of proof of alleged corruption, ARY News reported.
The Ramzan Sugar Mills case was shifted to anti-corruption team after amendments in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.
The NAB arrested Shehbaz on October 5, 2018, and the Lahore High Court released him on bail on February 14, 2019, as per ARY News.
The NAB alleged that when Shehbaz Sharif was the Chief Minister, he alongwith his son Hamza caused a loss of PKR (Pakistani Rupees) 213 million to the national exchequer by committing the offence of misuse of authority, ARY News reported.
As per ARY News, Shehbaz Sharif issued a directive for the construction of a drain in Chiniot district primarily for the use of Ramzan Sugar Mills owned by his sons - Hamza and Suleman.
Earlier on October 17, the Lahore Accountability Court (AC) transferred the Ramzan Sugar Mill reference against Shehbaz Sharif and former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz to anti-corruption courts, ARY News reported.
The decision was announced by AC judge Zubair Shehzad Kayani. The accountability court transferred the case to Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) in light of the amendments. During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor requested that the reference be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Court, and stated there was no objection to moving the NAB reference there, ARY News reported.
On September 23, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reopened the reference against PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif.
The NAB sent back 116 corruption references against prominent personalities to the accountability courts in Lahore including Ramzan Sugar Mills case against Shehbaz Sharif.
On September 15, the Supreme Court of Pakistan struck down amendments made to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws as it announced its reserved verdict on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman's plea.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked Shehbaz, Hamza, and Salman Shehbaz in November 2020 for financial fraud, impersonation, and forging of the Pakistan Penal Code and 5(2) and 5(3) - criminal misconduct -- of Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act, as per ARY News.