The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday accepted the application of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for return of Rs70 million surety bond in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Image: Dawn
The three-judge LHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Alia Neelam and consisting of Justice Jawad Zafar and Justice Ahbar Gul Khan, allowed CM Maryam Nawaz to take back her surety bond of Rs70 million.
The ruling came after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted an affidavit in the court regarding withdrawal of appeal against the LHC order in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).
Deputy Attorney General Rafaqat Dogar appeared in court on behalf of the federal government, while the NAB was represented by Special Prosecutor Fatima Shahid.
Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar was also present in the court on behalf of Punjab government.
Maryam Nawaz had approached the high court in 2006 for return of the surety bond.
During the last case hearing a week ago, the Lahore High Court had sought an affidavit from the NAB about the withdrawal of its plea before the FCC challenging a judicial direction for the closure of Chaudhry Sugar Mills probe against CM Maryam Nawaz.
A deputy prosecutor general for the NAB had then informed the LHC bench that the FCC office had returned the petition raising an objection to its maintainability.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum had instructed the NAB prosecutor to submit an affidavit to this effect on May 11.
Through Advocate Javed Arshad, the chief minister filed the application after an accountability court on March 16 allowed a NAB plea for the closure of the sugar mills investigation against her.
The accountability court declared that Maryam Nawaz may withdraw her surety bond of Rs70 million furnished against the post-arrest bail granted to her in the case.
