The Lahore High Court has directed authorities to return Rs. 70 million that was deposited by Maryam Nawaz as surety in the long-running Chaudhry Sugar Mills Case after the National Accountability Bureau officially withdrew its proceedings in the matter.
The decision was announced by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, which approved the request following the submission of an affidavit by NAB confirming that the case had been closed and no further proceedings remained pending.
During the hearing, counsel representing Maryam Nawaz informed the court that her husband, Captain Safdar Awan, would receive the deposited amount after the court issues its written order. The surety amount had originally been submitted in 2019 as part of the bail conditions imposed during the investigation into the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
The development marks another legal conclusion in the case, as NAB had earlier also declared its petition seeking cancellation of Maryam Nawaz’s bail ineffective following her acquittal. The accountability proceedings had remained under discussion for several years and were considered among the high-profile cases pursued during the bureau’s anti-corruption campaign.
