ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad issued an order on Friday to release the seized properties, vehicles, and bank accounts of Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), in the Toshakhana reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Last month, the same judge had suspended the arrest warrant for Nawaz Sharif, who recently returned to the country after a four-year self-imposed exile in London.
In today’s (Friday’s) hearing, Judge Muhammad Bashir instructed authorities to return Nawaz’s seized assets and unfreeze his accounts.
In 2020, an accountability court had ordered the confiscation of Nawaz’s property in the Toshakhana vehicles reference when he was declared an absconder by the Islamabad High Court.
The reference alleges that Nawaz and Zardari obtained cars from Toshakhana by paying 15% of the car prices, with former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani accused of facilitating them.
The NAB claims Gillani relaxed the procedure for accepting and disposing of gifts, with Khawaja Anwar Majeed and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, owners of the Omni Group, also named as accused.
Despite not holding a public office in 2008, Nawaz allegedly received a vehicle without justification, leading to corruption charges under various sections of the NAB Ordinance.
Rules dictate that gifts to the head of state remain government property unless sold at an open auction, with officials allowed to retain gifts valued at less than Rs10,000 without payment.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
