The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday ordered the return of Rs70 million deposited by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz as surety in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) withdrew proceedings.
A three-member bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, issued the directive during a hearing. The court noted that since NAB had closed the investigation and withdrawn the reference, the surety amount was no longer required.
Maryam Nawaz had deposited the amount in 2020 as part of bail conditions in the case, which alleged illegal acquisition of sugar mills and misuse of government land. NAB had filed the reference in 2020 but later decided to withdraw it.
The court also disposed of the main petition related to the case. The development comes as a legal relief for the chief minister, who has been facing several corruption cases.
