Lahore: The Lahore High Court on Monday approved an application filed by Maryam Nawaz seeking the return of Rs70 million deposited as surety for post-arrest bail in the high-profile Chaudhry Sugar Mills Case.
The case, originally initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), involved allegations of money laundering and acquiring assets beyond known sources of income through allegedly questionable business transactions linked to Chaudhry Sugar Mills, where Maryam Nawaz was described as a major shareholder.
During the hearing, a NAB deputy prosecutor submitted an affidavit before the LHC full bench confirming that the bureau had withdrawn its petition before the Federal Constitutional Court challenging directives related to the closure of the investigation against Maryam Nawaz.
Following the submission, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum accepted the application and directed the registrar’s office to return the surety amount deposited by the Punjab chief minister.
The bench also included Muhammad Jawad Zafar and Abher Gul Khan.
Maryam Nawaz had moved the application through her counsel Javed Arshad after an accountability court in March accepted NAB’s request to formally close the investigation against her.
The accountability court had ruled that Maryam Nawaz was entitled to withdraw the Rs70 million surety bond that had been submitted following her release on bail in the case.
The development followed an earlier directive issued by the Lahore High Court on February 4 instructing NAB to submit a formal termination report before the accountability court in accordance with legal requirements for ending the investigation.
Maryam Nawaz was arrested by a NAB investigation team on August 8, 2019, in connection with the case while visiting her father, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, at Kot Lakhpat Jail.
On November 4, 2019, the Lahore High Court granted her bail, subject to the surrender of her passport and the submission of a Rs70 million surety bond.
Later, in October 2022, the court ordered authorities to return her passport after NAB informed the court that it no longer required the travel document.
The latest ruling effectively concludes another legal chapter related to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills investigation involving the Punjab chief minister.
