Lahore: The accountability court granted permanent immunity to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from attendance in a personal capacity in the Ashiana Iqbal housing scheme reference.
The prime minister had filed applications for permanent exemption from personal attendance in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references citing official duties.
On June 20, the court had accepted Shehbaz Sharif’s application to the extent of the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference. Now the court also allowed the second application.
The court also granted immunity to accused Ahad Khan Cheema from attendance once as he was out of the country with the Prime Minister.
The NAB alleged that Shehbaz and other accused persons caused a huge loss to national exchequer by awarding the contract of the housing scheme to a company without bidding.
It arrested Cheema on Feb 21, 2018 on charges of misusing his authority with criminal intent and awarding Rs14 billion contracts of Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme. It alleged that Cheema received illegal gratification in the form of 32 kanals of land from the owners of Paragon City Developers in reward for the contract of the housing scheme awarded to its proxy firm namely Bismillah Engineering.
Former principal secretary to the prime minister Fawad Hassan Fawad is also an accused in this reference and a pleader, approved by the court, attends the hearings.
