Court adjourns hearing as Hamza not produced.

LAHORE -- An accountability court on Monday adjourned proceedings into Ramzan Sugar Mills and illegal assets/money laundering cases against Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz.

However, Hamza was not brought to the court from jail due to coronavirus related lockdown measures. An official of the district jail presented a report about the non-production of the suspect before the court due to the lockdown. To a court's query, the official said the lockdown would continue till May 9.

Presiding Judge Amjad Nazir Chaudhry asked Shahbaz's lawyer as to how the trial proceedings will be held if the suspect was not produced before the court.

The counsel said the court could continue with its proceedings since the lawyers of all the suspects were available on each hearing.

A NAB prosecutor also told the court that the Lahore High Court permitted trial proceedings in the absence of the suspects.

The judge adjourned further hearing till May 12.

Mr Shahbaz has been granted bail in the sugar mills case while denied in the money laundering by the high court. Later he filed a bail petition in the Supreme Court.

NAB alleged...