LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday sought arguments from the counsel for Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, on an application of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking closure of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills investigation.

At the outset of the hearing, Accountability Court Judge Rana Arif summoned the NAB-Lahore director general (DG) after the investigating officer (IO) failed to appear with the case record.

Following the court order, NAB Lahore DG Farhan Baig appeared and assured that the relevant record would be presented before courts in a timely manner.

The judge adjourned further hearing till March 16 and directed the chief minister’s counsel, Javed Arshad, to present his arguments on the bureau’s application.

The NAB-Lahore had filed the application seeking closure of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills inquiry, taking the position that no evidence was available against Ms Nawaz and her father Nawaz Sharif.

In its application, the NAB stated that the Lahore High Court had directed the bureau to place a termination report before the accountability court for the closure of the investigation, as required under the law.

The order was passed on an application of Ms Nawaz, seeking a refund of Rs70 million, deposited as a guarantee for post-arrest bail in the sugar mills case.

The LHC had on Nov 4, 2019, released Ms Nawaz, now chief minister of Punjab, in the sugar mills case on bail, subject to surrendering her passport to the court. She was also ordered to deposit Rs70m with the registrar, judicial.

Later, an LHC full bench, on Oct 3, 2022, returned her passport after the NAB said it did not require the travel document anymore.

A NAB team had arrested Maryam on Aug 8, 2019, when she was present at the Kot Lakhpat jail on her weekly visit to her incarcerated father Nawaz Sharif, along with her daughter and a cousin, Yousaf Abbas, the son of late Abbas Sharif.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2026