LAHORE: The Lahore accountability court has acquitted former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and 10 other suspects in the Aashiana Iqbal reference, accepting their application for acquittal.
The reserved verdict, announced on Saturday, cleared charges against individuals including Fawad Hassan Fawad and Ahad Cheema. Previous acquittals in the case included Nadeem Zia and Kamran Kiani.
Earlier in the day, the court, after hearing arguments from both sides, reserved its verdict. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the attorney general submitted reports during the hearing, asserting that the Supreme Court’s verdict did not impact the specific case.
Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyer, Amjad Pervaiz, explained that the court sought clarification on NAB’s stance, with both the bureau and the attorney general stating in writing that the Supreme Court’s decision did not influence this case.
Representing Shehbaz Sharif, Anwar Hussain appeared in court, concluding his appearance. The acquittal petitions contended that the corruption allegations in the Aashiana Iqbal project were unfounded.
The Aashiana Iqbal reference, filed in 2018, accused Shahbaz Sharif and others of causing financial loss to the national exchequer by awarding a contract to a single company.
