LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is likely to summon Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz vice president Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case after it has ‘paced up’ investigation related to her role.

The NAB Lahore has sought a written statement from Saif Bin Jabr Al Suwaidi, who had been appearing as a majority shareholder since 1999 till 2008 in the CSM.

“Maryam Nawaz is likely to be summoned and quizzed in the light of the statement of Al Suwaidi, chairman Bin Jabr Group United Arab Emirates, and other evidence by NAB in the investigation of CSM in which she is the major beneficiary,” an official source told Dawn on Wednesday.

Maryam, daughter of former premier Nawaz Sharif, has been on bail in the CSM case since November last year.

The PML-N workers and police had clashed in August last outside the NAB Lahore office where Maryam Nawaz had arrived to record her statement in a case related to “illegal” acquisition of land in Raiwind. The investigation in this case has been pending since then and the NAB has yet to re-summon her in it.

In the letter to Mr Suwaidi, NAB said: “Since you had been appearing as a majority shareholder between 1999 and 2008 in the CSM which is owned by former premier Nawaz Sharif and his family members. Narrate the nature of your financial relationship with Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and any other member of the Sharif family. Did you make any investment in the CSM for purchase of 9.4 million shares? Did Nawaz Sharif or any member of his family make any investment with you in the UAE.”

The NAB further said: “The record available with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan pertaining to CSM reveals that 9.4m shares of it were issued in your (Suwaidi) name valued Rs310m in Oct 1999. Later in May 2008, the aforesaid shares were transferred to Maryam Nawaz (accused) without any payment. The management of CSM claimed that you sent an amount of US $ 6 million to its bank account in Lahore for the purchase of 9.4m shares. Did you ever remit that amount? Explain whether the said amount of $6m belonged to you and was

sent as your investment for the purchase of the shares or the amount actually belonged to Nawaz Sharif or his family members and you just repatriated their amount back to them.”

The NAB has asked Mr Suwaidi to submit a detailed reply by Dec 7 to its Lahore bureau.

In 2018, the government’s financial monitoring unit reported to NAB ‘a huge suspicious’ transaction involving billions of rupees in the M/s Chaudhry Sugar Mills Ltd under Anti-Money Laundering Act. NAB detected that Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif and the family of the late Abbas Sharif are shareholders in the company along with some foreigners of the UAE and the UK.

Maryam Nawaz is actively participating these days in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PMD) which aims at ousting Prime Minister Khan. Maryam in her speeches has been targeting the military establishment like her father.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2020