Court seeks written responses in CSM case against ruling Sharifs

An accountability court in Lahore will hear on March 12 a petition filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking final approval to close the investigation in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) reference involving Maryam Nawaz and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, NAB Lahore has approached the accountability court to obtain formal permission to terminate the investigation into the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

On Monday, Accountability Court Judge Rana Muhammad Arif took up the plea filed by NAB Lahore. During the hearing, lawyer Javed Arshad Bhatti appeared on behalf of Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif.

However, the proceedings were adjourned until March 12 due to the absence of NAB prosecutor Intekhab Joiya. Prosecutor Haris Qureshi informed the court that the concerned prosecutor was unwell and requested that the hearing be postponed.

It is pertinent to mention that NAB Lahore filed the petition before the accountability court in light of directives issued by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The bureau requested the court to grant final approval for closing the investigation in accordance with the High Court's February 4 orders.

Judge Rana Arif had already issued notices to the parties concerned and directed them to submit their written responses at the next hearing.

On February 17, 2026, the LHC directed NAB to approach the accountability court within one week to file a reference for formally closing the CSM case after NAB’s counsel informed the court that the investigation, upgraded in 2020, had concluded with no evidence of corruption found against the suspects.

Following the development, Maryam Nawaz sought the return of Rs70 million that had been deposited as a guarantee in the case. The LHC subsequently instructed the relevant authorities to process the refund.

Later, on February 25, 2026, NAB Lahore formally approached the accountability court seeking approval to close the investigation.

The case originally emerged in January 2018 following reports of suspicious transactions under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Among the main accused were Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and the Abbas Sharif family.

NAB had alleged that the Sharif family used foreign nationals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom (UK) as proxies to launder money through dubious business transactions and investments in CSM between 2001 and 2017.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif and her cousin Yousuf Abbas were arrested in connection with the CMS reference in August 2019 but were later released on bail.

Reporter: Jamaluddin Jamali