LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to move the trial court concerned after the anti-graft body decided to close the Chaudhry Sugar Mills inquiry against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The case pertains to alleged money laundering and income beyond means via “dubious” business transactions of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, of which Maryam was a major shareholder.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum and including Justices Muhammad Jawad Zafar and Abher Gul Khan, heard CM Maryam’s civil miscellaneous application seeking the refund of Rs70 million deposited as a guarantee in the case.

During the proceedings, the NAB’s prosecutor informed the bench that following the new amendments, the bureau’s chairman had approved the closure of the probe.

Justice Neelum, however, observed that the NAB should have approached the accountability court concerned for closure of the inquiry.

Questioning the investigation process, the chief justice asked the bureau’s counsel to explain the procedure adopted in the case.

In response, the prosecutor stated that the NAB board had decided in a meeting to close the inquiry.

The prosecutor answered the bench in the affirmative when asked whether a new NAB board could reopen the case in the future.

At this, the bench remarked that such a situation would render the NAB board’s decision to close a case meaningless.

Justice Neelum observed, “If the court orders the release of the bail surety amount today and the case is reopened tomorrow, all blame would fall on the court.”

Subsequently, the bench directed the NAB to approach the relevant accountability court within one month for the formal closure of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills inquiry.

A NAB team had arrested Maryam in connection with the case on Aug 8, 2019 when she was present at the Kot Lakhpat jail on her weekly visit to her incarcerated father Nawaz.

On Nov 4, 2019, the LHC released Maryam in the sugar mills case on bail, subject to surrendering her passport to the court. She was also ordered to deposit a surety amount of Rs70m with the registrar judicial of the court.

In October 2022, the LHC directed officials to return the passport to Maryam after the NAB said it did not require the travel document anymore.