LAHORE               -            An accountability court on Friday accepted an application seeking exemption of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from personal appearance in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case on medical grounds.

The special judge of the accountability court was informed by the Nawaz’s counsel that the former prime minister was undergoing medical treatment in London. The accountability judge accepted the exemption application until Jan 17 on the basis of his medical reports.

Representing the applicant/accused, Advocate Amjad Pervez submitted that his client was not well and undergoing medical treatment in London. The court then sought medical reports of Nawaz Sharif at the next date of hearing.

The court meanwhile, extended the judicial remand of Nawaz’s nephew Yousuf Abbas Sharif in the same case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused the Sharif family of using the Chaudhry Sugar Mills for laundering money and transferring its shares illegally. Mainly, Maryam Nawaz is accused of being involved in money laundering under the garb of sale/purchase of the sugar mills’ shares. Maryam was allegedly the largest shareholder of the mills in 2008. She had more than 12m shares and her assets had been found disproportionate to her income, it was alleged.

Moreover, in 2015, the sugar mills was shifted from Gojra to Rahim Yar Khan at a cost of Rs1.5bn while the amount had not so far been justified by the accused.

It is pertinent to mention that a medical board has been constituted on the issues pertaining the extension in the stay of Nawaz Sharif abroad on medical grounds, as per Punjab Health Department.

Headed by Prof. Mahmood Ayaz, the board consisting of five senior professors will review the reports of the PML-N leader. It will then submit its report after reviewing the ailing leader’s medical status while the recommendations will subsequently be presented in the cabinet meeting.