Bail cancellation: Maryam requests LHC to reject NAB's petition with fine

(Karachi) Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz has requested the Lahore High Court (LHC) to reject the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) petition for the cancellation of her bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case and impose a fine against the institution, local media reported on Tuesday.

Submitting her six-page response in court, Maryam stated that the NAB has kept a complete silence for 14 months in the case before summoning her again.

She added that the cases filed by the anti-graft watchdog and arrests aimed to suppress her voice. She maintained that NAB is acting as a government's spokesperson rather decide cases on merit.

The PML-N vice president said that the LHC had granted bail to her in the case on merit after listening to the stance of the NAB. Furthermore, she stated that NAB’s duty is eliminating corruption but not to take action over political statements.

On August 8, 2019, Maryam and her cousin Yousuf Abbas were arrested by NAB in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Later, on September 25, they were sent to jail on judicial remand by an accountability court in Lahore.

The accountability watchdog suspects Maryam of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts being the main shareholder of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills. It has alleged that she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners during the period from 1992 to 1993, when Nawaz was the prime minister.