PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has not yet been released from Kot Lakhpat Jail despite the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) April 14 decision of granting him bail in a money laundering reference.
On April 14, a two-judge bench of the high court, headed by Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and also comprising Asjad Javed Ghural, approved his bail subject to submission of two surety bonds worth Rs5 million each.
The judgement that granted the PML-N leader bail is yet to be signed by the judges part of the division bench. Once the order sheet is signed, his release order will be issued.
Shehbaz was sent to jail on judicial remand on Oct 20, 2020 after remaining in NAB custody for 23 days since his arrest on September 28, 2020 in the money laundering reference.
Notably, the LCH has recently directed the NAB to inform Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz prior to the issuance of her arrest warrants in the Jati Umra land case.
The LHC conducted the hearing of the bail plea submitted by PML-N VP Maryam Nawaz in the Jati Umra land case. Maryam has also appeared in the hearing.
The high court wrapped up the petition after ordering the anti-corruption watchdog to inform Maryam Nawaz 10 days prior to issuing arrest warrants. The court ruled that Maryam could move to the court for bail after getting a notice of the arrest warrants.
Earlier on March 24, the LHC had approved the interim bail of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz till April 12 and sought a reply from the NAB.
Interestingly, a two-member bench of the LHC comprising Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Asjad Javaid Ghural had heard the bail petition of Maryam in the Jati Umra land case.
The court granted the interim bail to Maryam till April 12 and asked the petitioner to submit two surety bonds worth Rs1 million each.
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According to the corruption watchdog, the Sharif family members allegedly illegally acquired 3,500 kanals of land in Raiwind in collusion with the district administration and revenue officials in 2013.
In 2015, then Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema and the Lahore deputy commissioner altered the master plan, declaring hundreds of kanals of land green-land area, the NAB said.