Judge irked by Hamza Shahbaz's refusal to travel in armoured vehicle
It is the state's failure to be helpless before an accused, observes accountability court judge
October 31, 2020
LAHORE: Hamza Shahbaz on Saturday refused to travel in an armoured vehicle, irking Accountability Court judge Amjad Nazeer.
The PML-N leader was scheduled to appear in a case pertaining to the Ramzan Sugar Mills corruption reference. During the hearing, the judicial officer informed the bench that Hamza had refused to travel in the armoured vehicle.
The prison's deputy superintendent said Hamza was handed over to judicial authorities at 8:25am but he refused to travel to court in the armoured vehicle.
Irked by the development, the accountability judge sought an explanation from jail authorities.
Read more: LHC grants Hamza Shehbaz bail in Ramzan Sugar Mills case
"Will the suspect now decide when and how he appears before the court?" asked the judge. He questioned whether other suspects who appear before the bench do so in their favourite cars.
"It is the failure of the state to be helpless in front of an accused," he observed.
The bench reserved verdict on the written response submitted by jail authorities and adjourned hearing till November 10.
Hamza's arrest
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Hamza in June last year.
The leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly is being investigated in two different cases pertaining to accumulating assets beyond means of income and money laundering.
