ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday filed an application in Supreme Court for early hearing of his post-arrest bail petition. The petitioner stated that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against him, which comprises voluminous record and 110 proposed prosecution witnesses (PW) out which only three PW had recorded their statements.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Hamza Shehbaz, was arrested in Ramzan Sugar Mills scam. The petitioner is behind the bars for the last 18 months. He stated that his pending petition for release on bail be treated as a matter requiring urgent hearing, as it involved his fundamental rights of life, liberty, reputation, and fair trial.

"In view of this, it is expedient in the interest of justice that his petition for bail be fixed at an early date."

A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on February 6, 2020, had extended interim bail to Hamza Shehbaz in Ramzan Sugar Mills corruption case. The NAB on March 21, 2020, approached the Supreme Court to cancel the PML-N leader's bail.

The NAB submitted that the division bench of the LHC has fallen an error by not considering the cardinal principles of criminal law as envisaged under the provisions of Section (9) (b) NAO, 1999. It further submitted that the high court had not appreciated the evidence available on record in its true perspective which resulted in grave miscarriage of justice, and had prejudiced the case of the prosecution.

It prayed before the apex court to grant leave to appeal against the order passed on February 6, 2020, passed by the LHC. The NAB questioned as to whether the LHC erred in not considering that the constitutional petition was neither maintainable nor competent and suffered from legal infirmities, hence not proceed able, which fact was duly apprised during the hearing but not finding to that extent was given by the court.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020