LAHORE   -  An accountability court on Monday recorded statements of three witnesses in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scam in the presence of former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the Opposition in National Assembly (NA), and other accused.

The suspects, including Shehbaz Sharif, appeared before Special Judge Jawadul Hassan who conducted the proceedings. When Shehbaz complained about backache, the court allowed him to take a seat.

At the outset of the proceedings, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) official presented an investigation report in connection with the case against the PML-N leader to the court.

Meanwhile, three witnesses present in the courtroom got their testimonies recorded.  Defense counsel Amjad Pervez cross-examined the witness Sidra Mansoor and asked her upon whose directives she had produced the record. She replied that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) had asked her for presenting the record.

He further asked her whether the (SECP) in-charge had given her any written directives for the purpose. She replied  that SECP in-charge Liaquat Ali had given her verbal directives about the matter. She further sadi that the same record as submitted to the NAB had been presented to the court. She further stated she had been included in the investigation process on May 30, 2018.

Meanwhile, other accused persons, including Fawad Hassan Fawad, Ahad Cheema and Munir Zia are also present in the court.

In the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scam case, then special judge accountability court Syed Najmul Hassan had indicted 10 accused including Shehbaz Sharif, Ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, Ahad Cheema and Munir Zia etc on February 18. All the accused had pleaded not guilty. The PML-N president had sworn to God that the case against him was false and affirmed to bring facts in front of the nation.

Fawad became an approver in the case. In his statement before NAB, he had claimed that he had awarded a contract to a “favourite firm” in the Rs14 billion Ashiana Housing project at the behest of Shahbaz Sharif.

The accountability court recorded the statement of the three witnesses and summoned more witnesses the case on July 13, the the next hearing.

Meanwhile, tight security measures were taken on the occasion of Shahbaz Sharif’s appearance before the court.

On June 9, 2019, Shehbaz returned to the country from London. He had gone to London on April 9 after his name was removed from the exit control list on the order of on Lahore High Court (LHC).

The opposition leader is of the view that that NAB had made a “fraud case” him and other suspects