Ch Sugar Mills case: LHC directs NAB to file reference for closure

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference within one month before the relevant accountability court to close Chaudhry Sugar Mills reference against Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

A full bench of the LHC disposed of a petition filed by Punjab Chief Minister seeking return of rupees 70 million deposited as a guarantee in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills reference.

Earlier, a counsel for NAB submitted that following the amendments to the NAB law, the Chairman of the bureau had approved the closure of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum heading the bench questioned him whether a new NAB board could reopen the case in the future, to which he replied in the affirmative.

The chief justice remarked that if this were so, the approval granted by the NAB board to close the case would have no legal standing.

The court said, if the guarantee amount were released at this stage, the entire responsibility would fall on the court, therefore, NAB should have approached the relevant accountability court to seek closure of the reference, the court concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026