The Lahore High Court has ordered the return of Rs7 crore deposited as bail security in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case involving Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The decision was announced after the court approved her petition seeking the release of the amount.
A three-member full bench headed by Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Aalia Neelum heard the case. During the proceedings, legal counsel for Maryam Nawaz argued that the amount was originally submitted as bail security during the investigation stage of the case.
The lawyer informed the court that the situation had changed significantly because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had officially closed the inquiry related to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. The petition stated that there was no legal justification to continue holding the security amount after the investigation ended.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court directed the relevant authorities to immediately return the Rs7 crore surety amount to Maryam Nawaz.
The Chaudhry Sugar Mills case remained one of Pakistan’s high-profile accountability investigations for several years. The inquiry focused on allegations related to money laundering, suspicious financial transactions, and unexplained assets linked to the Sharif family’s sugar business.
The investigation began in 2018 after Pakistan’s Financial Monitoring Unit reportedly identified questionable financial transactions under anti-money laundering laws. NAB later launched a formal inquiry into the matter.
In 2019, Maryam Nawaz was arrested by NAB in connection with the case. She was later granted bail by the Lahore High Court under specific conditions. These conditions included surrendering her passport and submitting a Rs70 million surety bond.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also named as a suspect during the investigation. The case continued for years amid changing political and legal developments in the country.
Earlier in 2026, NAB concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support corruption allegations against Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz. Following the decision, the accountability court in Lahore approved the closure of the inquiry.
The court also allowed the release of the surety amount deposited during the bail process. Although there were initial legal objections, NAB later withdrew its concerns regarding the return of the amount.
As a result, legal proceedings connected to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case have now formally ended. Authorities stated that sufficient evidence of corruption could not be established during the investigation.
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The latest court order has attracted significant political and legal attention as the long-running accountability case officially reaches its conclusion.
