Anti-corruption panel to reopen cases against Sharif brothers

Islamabad, Aug 11 (UNI) Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau has sought reopening of the pending corruption cases against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz Sharif and other family members.

"The application is likely to be taken up for further action by duty judge of the court in the garrison town of Rawalpindi neighbouring Islamabad,"Nation newspaper reported today.

The corruption references have been fixed for hearing in the Accountability Court established in Attock Fort northwest of Islamabad where Nawaz Sharif was kept after he was overthrown in a bloodless military coup on October 12, 1999.

But,after Nawaz Sharif along with his other family members went to Saudi Arabia under a deal between Riyadh and Islamabad in December 2000, all these reference were put on the pending list of the NAB courts.

Giving details of the corruption references, the NAB officials in Rawalpindi informed that in Hudabia Papers Mills besides Nawaz Sharif his younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, and their family members, Abbas Sharif,Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Haroon Pasha and Senator Ishaq Dar are co-accused.

The accused were charged that they had secured huge loan in the name of Hudabia Papers Mills and later used the loan for some other purpose and in the way had caused huge loss to national exchequer.

Sharif's family was also charged with accumulation of huge money and assets beyond their declared means of income by allegedly misusing their official positions.

Similarly, in Ittifaq Foundry case Nawaz Sharif and Abbas Sharif was charged with securing of huge loans and its abuse causing loss of millions to the national exchequer.

When contacted the Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Zulfiqar Bhutta admitted that an application has been moved to reopen the cases.

He said that these cases were pending before the court and would reoen automatically when Sharif and his family members return to Pakistan.

NAB plans to reopen the cases against the backdrop of petitions filed by Sharifs in the Supreme Court challenging their seven-year exile.

UNI