LHC grants Hamza pre-arrest bail in Ramzan Sugar Mills, Saaf Paani Company cases

Published April 10, 2019
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz pre-arrest bail till April 17 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and the Saaf Pani Company cases. — DawnNewsTV
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz pre-arrest bail till April 17 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and the Saaf Pani Company cases. — DawnNewsTV

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz pre-arrest bail till April 17 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and Saaf Pani Company cases.

The high court also ordered him to pay surety bonds worth Rs10 million each and issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking its reply in the matter.

A two-member bench of the high court headed by Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan heard two separate applications that the PML-N leader had submitted for pre-arrest bail earlier today.

Read: Why is Hamza Shahbaz a wanted man?

According to the bail petitions, Hamza was fearful of arrest by NAB in the two cases. It stated that previously NAB had "called politicians in one case and arrested them in another case". The PML-N leader was fearful that the same would happen to him.

During the hearing, Hamza's lawyer revealed that in a notice issued last night, the provincial opposition leader was summoned by NAB in a money laundering and assets beyond means case today.

The lawyer recalled that the LHC had granted Hamza bail in one of the cases against him. He said the PML-N leader had been indicted in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case and therefore they were fearful that NAB would arrest him.

On Monday, the LHC had approved pre-arrest bail for Hamza till April 17 and restrained NAB from arresting him until then in a case of alleged assets beyond means.

A day later, an accountability court indicted Hamza and his father, National Assembly Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif, in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. Both father and son pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against them, which involve the misuse of their authority and the illegal use of public funds.

Hamza was present in the LHC for today's hearing. The court expressed displeasure at the disorderliness of PML-N party workers.

Justice Khan observed that the workers had behaved in a similar manner on Tuesday and even today they were making noise.

"This is not the right approach," he said, adding that the bench was not happy with the disorder.

The judge remarked that everyone had come to the court "to get into the good graces" of the PML-N leadership and that videos and selfies were being taken in the court.

Hamza agreed with the judge but said that he had left his house without announcing the move. He said a mechanism would be decided on to ensure that such a situation did not occur in the court again.

Opinion

Editorial

IMF’s projections
Updated 18 Apr, 2024

IMF’s projections

The problems are well-known and the country is aware of what is needed to stabilise the economy; the challenge is follow-through and implementation.
Hepatitis crisis
18 Apr, 2024

Hepatitis crisis

THE sheer scale of the crisis is staggering. A new WHO report flags Pakistan as the country with the highest number...
Never-ending suffering
18 Apr, 2024

Never-ending suffering

OVER the weekend, the world witnessed an intense spectacle when Iran launched its drone-and-missile barrage against...
Saudi FM’s visit
Updated 17 Apr, 2024

Saudi FM’s visit

The government of Shehbaz Sharif will have to manage a delicate balancing act with Pakistan’s traditional Saudi allies and its Iranian neighbours.
Dharna inquiry
17 Apr, 2024

Dharna inquiry

THE Supreme Court-sanctioned inquiry into the infamous Faizabad dharna of 2017 has turned out to be a damp squib. A...
Future energy
17 Apr, 2024

Future energy

PRIME MINISTER Shehbaz Sharif’s recent directive to the energy sector to curtail Pakistan’s staggering $27bn oil...