Accountbility Court Judge M. Bashir on Friday accepted early hearing for withdrawal of attachment of assets application by Nawaz Shareef Counsel, Qazi Misbah ul Hassan filed on 08-11-2023 and ordered the withdrawal of attachment of assets of Nawaz Shareef.
Alleged assets of PML-N premio Nawaz Shareef were attached vide order dated 01-10-2020 and order dated 22-04-2021 and directions were made for taking possession and selling out the assets. According to order 01-10-2020, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkha governments were ordered to attach his bank accounts, shares in Stock Exchanges, vehicles, movable and immovable properties.
Qazi Misbah ul Hassan, prayed in the court that two provincial governments be directed to de-attach and restore position of the petitioner in the interest of justice and fair play. He further told the court that arrest warrants of Nawaz Shareef has been cancelled within the meaning of section 75(2) Cr.P.C. Nawaz Shareef left the country for medical treatment and it was approved by the court.
Qazi Misbah ul Hassan also argued that Nawaz Shareef was declared Proclaimed offender while he was already out of country and reference was filed in his absence. The reasons for his non- appearance were already given to the court last month through which court cancelled arrest warrants of Nawaz Shareef.
NAB prosecutor, Sohail Arif, frankly submitted that NAB has not issued any warrants of arrest against the petitioner. The warrant of arrest issued by the court was to produce his attendence. Sohail Arif also told the court that no transfer of money of the accused has taken place and no asset has been sold out by any competent authority. The accused has appeared before court and his warrant of arrest has been cancelled. Therefore, asset of the petitioner may be restored as prayed for.
The court then ordered to accept the application and order dated 01-10-2020 and 22-04-2021 were withdrawn. The court also ordered to restore previous position / status of the assets of Nawaz Shareef. The order also stated that value of offence against the accused is Rs. 36,19031/- while property which has been attached is many times more than the amount.
Nawaz Shareef is one of the accused in NAB's Toshakhana reference 06/2020 in which Asif Ali Zardari, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other coaccused allegedly taken state gifts for minimum evaluation price of the gifts. Next hearing of the reference will be on Nov 20th, 2023. Nawaz Shareef is accused of the taking Mercedes Benz in 1991-92 for Rs. 600,000.