LAHORE: An accountability court on Saturday acquitted former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in a reference of the alleged illegal allotment of plots in 1986 to Mir Shakilur Rehman, Editor-in-Chief of Jang Group.

The court passed the order on applications of Yousaf Abbas, a nephew of Sharif, and others challenging the auction of the properties apparently owned by Nawaz Sharif.

They claimed ownership of the assets, ordered to be auctioned by the court after the former prime minister was declared a proclaimed offender for his constant absence in the trial proceedings.

The petitioners who objected to the auction said the assets had been transferred to them being lawful legal heirs of the owners.

Earlier, their counsel argued before the court that the principal accused and two former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) officers had already been acquitted in the reference, proving that no offense was ever committed.

The counsel further argued that after the acquittal of the prime accused, there would be of no use to keep the proceedings pending against any other accused including a proclaimed offender.

The court inclining with the arguments of the counsel acquitted Nawaz Sharif in the reference.

The trial court acquitted Mir Shakilur Rehman, former director general of LDA Humayon Faiz Rasool, and its former director of land development department Mian Bashir Ahmad on January 31, 2022.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023