Court seeks one year to conclude Ashiana case trial

LAHORE: An accountability court Friday has sought one year in the Ashiana Housing reference against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly (NA) Shahbaz Sharif.Judge Amjad Nazir Chaudhry has written a letter to the Lahore High Court (LHC) stating that statements of five witnesses have been recorded so far while more time is required for the conclusion of the case. The LHC had directed the accountability court to wrap up the trial of the reference in three months. The NAB had arrested Shahbaz Sharif in the Ashiana e Iqbal Housing Scheme scam on October 5 and later he was released on bail. The former chief minister was charged with awarding illegal contracts to his favorite firm. Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Principal Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad became an approver in the case. In his statement before the NAB he claimed that he had awarded a contract to a favourite firm in the Rs14 billion Ashiana Housing project at the behest of Shahbaz Sharif.