Shahbaz Sharif no show at accountability hearing, to be indicted in Ashiyana case on Feb 18
PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif failed to appear for an accountability court hearing regarding the Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing scam in Lahore on Thursday, drawing the ire of the judge.
Read more: A timeline of developments in the Ashiana housing 'scam'
The jail authorities said that Sharif was indisposed due to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting and was also unwell.
"There should be one reason cited from the two being provided," the accountability judge remarked.
Sharif's lawyer said that the opposition leader had been advised to refrain from travel owing to health concerns.
At this, the judge countered by saying: "The provision of medical facilities does not mean that he stops coming to court."
Seeking to alleviate any blame that might fall on the bureau, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor said: "Producing him before the court is no longer NAB's responsibility."
The judge relented and said that a week's time will be given to Sharif to appear before the court. "If he is doing everything under the sun then why can he not appear in court?"
The court then directed NAB to expedite the filing of a reference in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
The judge announced that in the next hearing, on February 18, the respondents in the Ashiyana case will be indicted and that Sharif's presence that day must be ensured no matter what.
Former Punjab chief minister Sharif is charged with misuse of authority by unlawfully assuming powers of the board of directors of the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC), and awarding a contract to an ineligible proxy firm that resulted in the failure of the Ashiyana housing scheme. The alleged scam is believed to have caused a loss of Rs660 million to the public exchequer and deprived 61,000 applicants of houses.
Since Sharif's arrest on Oct 5, 2018, the bureau had kept him in custody for 62 days, with multiple extensions given for physical remand.
Further physical remand was denied on Dec 6 last year, after which Sharif was sent to Kot Lakhpat jail on judicial remand.
