Shahbaz moves LHC for bail in Ashiana scam

LAHORE: Opposition leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif approached the Lahore High Court on Tuesday, seeking bail in Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) accused Shahbaz precisely of misusing his authority as chief minister of Punjab by unlawfully assuming the powers of the Board of Directors of Punjab Land Development Company Limited (PLDC). NAB alleged that Shahbaz, in connivance with his co-accused, awarded a contract to an ineligible proxy firm, which resulted in failure of the Ashiana housing scheme, causing loss to the public exchequer and depriving 61,000 applicants of their housing units. It also charged ex-CM with issuing directions for entrusting the housing project to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and withdrawing it from the PLDC, and intervening in the company affairs in violation of the Companies Ordinance, Memorandum and Article of Association and Corporate Governance Rules 2013.

However, in his bail petition, filed through Advocate Amjad Pervez, Shahbaz Sharif denied all these charges being false and frivolous.

NAB further alleged that the former chief minister, through his unlawful acts and misuse of authority, caused huge losses to the state exchequer amounting to Rs660 million. It also enhanced the project cost to the tune of Rs3.39 billion.

The counsel also sought bail on medical reasons in addition to grounds taken against the merits of the case. He said the petitioner was more than 67 years old, having left side sciatica since 1994 due to which he had to depend on regular exercises, physiotherapy and swimming.

He said a recent MRI of the petitioner confirmed desiccation of disc, while he was a cancer survivor and known patient of a number of ailments of very serious nature. The lawyer pleaded that some of the tests had been carried out; however, the facility of most important test namely “DOTA Octreotide Scan” was not available in Pakistan.

He argued that the petitioner was a case of extreme hardship which needed to be considered on compassionate and humanitarian grounds as his detention may prove hazardous and jeopardise his life.