NAB Amendment Bill: PM Shehbaz's graft cases among 50 sent back by accountability courts.

ISLAMABAD -- In a major development, accountability courts have withdrawn major 50 corruption cases against suspects, including cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The relief has been provided in line with the amendments in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.

Accordingly, cases against PM Shehbaz, former chief minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani have also been returned to NAB by the accountability courts.

The Ramzan Sugar Mill reference against PM Shehbaz and son Hamza is also among the cases sent back. NAB had filed this reference in 2019, alleging that the two suspects "fraudulently and dishonestly" caused a Rs213 million loss to the national exchequer.

Similarly, an accountability court returned six rental power plant (RPP) references against the NA speaker back to NAB. The bureau had alleged that Ashraf misused his powers in rental power projects being the minister for Water and Power during the PPP government.

The Universal Services Fund (USF) reference against PPP Senator Yousuf Raza Gillani in which he was accused of misusing authority in an illegal publicity campaign, was also returned.

NAB references against Senator Saleem Mandviwala, former chief...