The Supreme Court will hear National Accountability Bureau's appeal regarding the re-opening of the Rs1.2 billion Hudaibiya Paper Mills case today. Photo: file 

 

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will hear National Accountability Bureau's appeal regarding the re-opening of the Rs1.2 billion Hudaibiya Paper Mills case today (Monday).

NAB has appealed an earlier decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) directing it to quash the investigation into the case, which accuses former finance minister Ishaq Dar and prominent members of the Sharif family of money laundering.

A three-member bench including Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel will hear the case.

During the hearing on Saturday, NAB requested the adjournment of proceedings till its new prosecutor general is appointed. The office of NAB prosecutor has been lying vacant since Waqas Qadeer Dar retired in November.

NAB had urged the apex court to adjourn the matter, instead of hearing it on December 11 (today). It was argued that the opening of the Hudaibiya reference holds extreme significances, it would be better if it is pleaded through the office of the prosecutor general.

NAB asked to submit complete record of Hudaibiya Paper Mills case

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The accountability bureau also submitted a set of documents to the court including copies of interim, and final reference on Hudaibya case along with Volume 8A of the Joint Investigation Team, which was formed to probe former prime minister Nawaz Sharif?s assets, report which also contains the copy of the Hudaibya reference.

Alongside, NAB also submitted the diary of the accountability court which heard the Hudaibya reference, as well as the procedure of appointment of the NAB chairperson and the list of all chairmen of the bureau appointed so far till its inception in 1999.

A timeline of Nawaz Sharif?s appointment as prime minister, including the period he was in exile after being ousted by former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was also submitted. 

On November 28 hearing, SC had directed the bureau to produce all records of the case at the next hearing. 

NAB's appeal

On September 20 this year, NAB filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the LHC's 2014 decision, naming former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his brothers Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and late Abbas Sharif, their mother Shamim Akhter, Shehbaz's son and MNA Hamza Shehbaz, Nawaz's daughter Maryam, and others as respondents.

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Three-member SC bench was to take up NAB's plea to reopen Hudaibiya case against Sharif family today

The NAB has pleaded the Supreme Court to dismiss the LHC decision to quash the case and order a reinvestigation into the scam as per the new evidence which surfaced in the Panama case Joint Investigation Team report.

Hudaibiya Paper Mills case

The Hudaibiya Paper Mills was allegedly used as a cover by the Sharif family to launder money outside the country in the 1990s.

It was in relation to this case that the Sharif family's trusted aide, Ishaq Dar, recorded a confessional statement on April 25, 2000 in front of a magistrate in Lahore accepting his role in laundering money.

On the basis of that confession, a reference was filed by the NAB in 2000 before an accountability court against the Hudabiya Paper Mills, three Sharif brothers, Dar and others.

Dar was not charged as he had become an approver in the case for the prosecution.

That reference was struck down by a referee judge of the Lahore High Court on March 11, 2014 in response to a writ petition filed in 2011 stating that Dar's confession was coerced.

Dar had claimed that he had made the 'confession' in duress and disowned the statement.