The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) concluded its investigation onWednesday, granting former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exoneration in theToshakhana vehicle reference. This reference pertains to the Toshakhana, agovernmental entity responsible for storing gifts presented to rulers,parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by foreign heads of state anddignitaries.
The case filed by NAB alleged that during the tenure of then-Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gilani, certain procedures related to the submission of giftsto the Toshakhana were relaxed to allegedly extend illegal benefits toNawaz Sharif and then-President Asif Ali Zardari. It was claimed thatvehicles gifted to them by foreign states and dignitaries were retainedagainst nominal payments, constituting a violation of rules.
An accountability court had previously issued non-bailable arrest warrantsfor Nawaz Sharif in June 2020, as he was absent from hearings due toself-imposed exile in London.
Despite initially challenging the warrants in the Islamabad High Court,Nawaz later withdrew the petition. Subsequently, he was declared aproclaimed offender in the case in September 2020, prompting the initiationof property confiscation and Interpol involvement for his arrest.
Read Top Stories
However, prior to his return to Pakistan in October of the same year, anaccountability court suspended the perpetual arrest warrants issued againstNawaz Sharif. Shortly after his return, bail was granted to him. InNovember, NAB informed a Lahore accountability court that it had recordedNawaz’s statement in the reference, marking a significant development inthe case.