LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif in connection with the Ashiana Company case, a press release said on Friday.
The NAB press release states that the former Punjab chief minister will be presented in an accountability court tomorrow (Saturday).
The accountability watchdog had alleged that Shehbaz had misused his authority during his tenure as Punjab chief minister and was involved in corruption.
Sources said that NAB had summoned Shehbaz to appear before it at 11am today and was detained when he appeared at the bureau’s office later during the day to record his statement.
Earlier, NAB sources had said that the PML-N president had not been arrested as yet and that a decision in this regard will be taken after the accountability bureau seeks permission to do so from the National Assembly speaker.
NAB is also investigating the PML-N president in Ashiana Housing scandal, Paragon Housing Society scandal and Punjab Power Company corruption cases.
On March 17, the Punjab government suspended Cheema from service for three months.
According to a notification issued by the Punjab government, Cheema’s suspension will start from the day he was arrested by the NAB and will last for three months.
Cheema, a grade-19 employee, was serving as the chief executive of Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power Limited when he was arrested.
The sources in Punjab Civil Secretariat said that notification of Cheema’s arrest was issued after approval from the federal government.
Cheema was arrested on February 21 after NAB detected illegalities and corruption worth billions in a deal between Paragon Housing Society and Punjab Land Development Company to construct the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Society, a low-cost project of the Punjab government.
