LAHORE: The Lahore chapter of the National Accountability Bureau on Friday submitted a reference against president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case to the NAB chairman for approval.

The reference was finalised by NAB Lahore, headed by Director General Shahzad Saleem, during a meeting here.

In the case, Hamza Shahbaz, the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, is accused of getting concrete slabs built to cover a drain along the mill in Chiniot out of public money. He was chief executive officer of Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The then Punjab chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, had allegedly approved an amount of Rs200 million for the construction work.

Being a director of the mill, Hamza’s brother Salman is facing similar charges, but the bureau has decided not to include his name in the reference. He is in the United Kingdom nowadays.

According to NAB, Salman left the country to avoid its hearings.

Hamza Shahbaz was stopped from leaving the country at the Lahore airport last month as his name was on the Exit Control List.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2019