Shahbaz Sharif released from sub-jail after NAB receives official orders

Published February 15, 2019
Shahbaz Sharif pictured at the airport following his release from the sub-jail. — Photo courtesy: PML-N
Shahbaz Sharif pictured at the airport following his release from the sub-jail. — Photo courtesy: PML-N

Opposition leader Mian Shahbaz Sharif was released from the Ministers' Enclave in Islamabad — which had been declared a sub-jail by the capital administration — on Friday evening, after NAB received court orders regarding his release, DawnNewsTV reported.

The PML-N president upon his release left the enclave and proceeded to go to the Islamabad International Airport from where he was to fly to Lahore.

Sharif's flight to Lahore was scheduled for 11pm.

The Lahore High Court on Thursday had accepted Sharif's request for bail in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases.

Sharif was taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore in connection with the Ashiana Housing case on October 5, 2018.

The former Punjab chief minister had been charged with misuse of authority by unlawfully assuming powers of the board of directors of the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC), and awarding a contract to an ineligible proxy firm that resulted in the failure of the housing scheme. The scam caused a loss to the public exchequer and deprived 61,000 applicants of houses.

It is also alleged that Sharif's directive to entrust the project of a housing scheme to the Lahore Development Authority from the PLDC and intervention into affairs of the company was in violation of the Companies Ordinance, Memorandum and Article of Association and Corpo­rate Governance Rules 2013.

NAB had alleged that the former chief minister through his unlawful acts and misuse of authority caused a loss of Rs660 million to the exchequer and the overall project cost rose to Rs3.39 billion.

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