LAHORE: An accountability court on Monday approved the closure of the investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The case involved allegations of money laundering and possessing assets beyond known sources of income through what investigators described as questionable business transactions linked to Chaudhry Sugar Mills, where Maryam Nawaz was a major shareholder.
Accountability Court Judge Rana Arif announced the decision while hearing a petition filed by NAB-Lahore seeking permission to close the investigation. The judge ruled that the bureau’s request to terminate the inquiry was in line with the law.
The court also observed that Maryam Nawaz could withdraw the surety bond of Rs70 million that she had submitted as a condition for obtaining post-arrest bail in the case.
Earlier, lawyers representing NAB and the Punjab chief minister had completed their arguments before the court regarding the application for the closure of the investigation.
In its plea, NAB informed the court that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had directed the bureau to submit a termination report before the accountability court to formally conclude the investigation.
The directive from the LHC came while hearing an application filed by Maryam Nawaz seeking the return of Rs70 million that she had deposited as a guarantee for her post-arrest bail in the case.
Maryam Nawaz was arrested by a NAB team on August 8, 2019, from Kot Lakhpat Jail when she had gone to visit her father, Nawaz Sharif, who was incarcerated at the time. She was accompanied by her daughter and cousin Yousaf Abbas during the visit.
Later, on November 4, 2019, the Lahore High Court granted Maryam Nawaz bail in the case, directing her to surrender her passport and deposit Rs70 million with the court’s registrar as a guarantee.
In October 2022, a full bench of the LHC returned her passport after NAB informed the court that it no longer required the travel document.
