LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Lahore’s accountability court, in its comprehensive judgment, concluded that the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing project did not result in any financial losses to the public treasury.
On Saturday, the court absolved Shehbaz Sharif, Ahad Cheema, Fawad Hassan Fawad, and others of all allegations.
The court’s written verdict highlighted that the charges against the accused were deemed ‘suspicious,’ lacking substantial evidence for conviction.
Ahad Cheema had requested a re-investigation in 2022, and the subsequent report failed to substantiate any of the charges.
Originally, the case implicated Shehbaz in the cancellation of a bid by Chaudhry Latif and Sons, alleging the project was handed over to Lahore Casa developers at a higher rate.
Moreover, Shehbaz was accused of transferring the project to the Lahore Development Authority, where Ahad Cheema served as chairman, subsequently allocating it to Lahore Casa.
Additionally, the consultancy contract, initially valued at Rs192 million with Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab, was questioned for being significantly higher than the actual cost of Rs35 million.
