LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability (SAPM) Shahzad Akbar has said the sugar commission report is a charge-sheet against former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and former prime minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi and added the latter had allowed biggest-ever subsidy of Rs20 billion on a 24-hour notice at the behest of Mr Sharif`s son Salman Shahbaz.

`Criminal investigations and cases will proceed on the recommendations of the sugar commission,` he said and added that a regulatory mechanism would be created to break the unholy alliances that had allegedly looted public money.

Speaking at a news conference here on Saturday, SAPM Akbar said Prime Minister Imran Khan had fulfilled his promise by making the commission`s report public, but the Pakistani Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) could not understand the report `or didn`t want to understand the report`.

Mr Al(bar said the commission report`s paras 196 to 201 had explained the `black deeds` of former PM Abbasi. Quoting from the commission report, the SAPM said, `The commission is of the view that as perdocumentary evidence available, the calculations of subsidy based on the cost of production in 2017-18 was not done with due diligence while approving the subsidy of Rs20bn. Mr Abbasi could not provide satisfactory answers or documentation to explain and justify the procedure` The SAPM said Mr Abbasi would be required to answer this charge-sheet in his next press conference.

He also claimed the former premier was telling lies and trying to mislead the public with regard to the permission of sugar export in 201819. `When the PTI government allowed export of sugar in 2018-19, there were ample stocks (around 3 million MT) of sugar in the country. The surplus stock was exported to earn foreign exchange,` Mr Akbar said and corroborated his claim with a para 231 of the commission report.

He said Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) member Asad Umer as well as Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had appeared before the commission. However, he said, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah did not appear before the commission despite two summons.

Stating that the PML-N leaders are continuously telling lies to mislead the masses, Mr Akbar said the sugar commission had 13 TORs and only one TOR referring to determining the increase in sugar prices.

He said the commission explained that the reason behind increase in sugar prices was unholy alliance of sugar mills.

`Prime Minister Imran Khan had allowed export of sugar after ECC approvaland never allowed subsidy, but Mr Abbasi immediately acted upon the orders of the nephew of his supreme leader to express his loyalty,` he said.

Mr Akbar said Salman Shahbaz and Hamza Shahbaz had 25 per cent shares each in Al-Arabia Sugar Mill. He said the Al-Arabia Sugar Mill did not show Rs1.3 billion sugarcane as the product was not bought on proper receipts. He said the then PML-N government in 201718 paid much less payments to the farmers and not a single penny was paid as tax.

Eventually, he said, the sugar was sold in the black market and earned quick bucks for the Sharif family.

The SAPM said former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had asked the Special Branch to report on sugar procurement price and was reported that support price was Rs149 on an average.

He said Shahbaz Sharif 1(new that his son`s mill was paying much less to farmers. He said the report identified same practice in nine mills and added that audit must be done of all sugar mills. `Billions of rupees can only be recovered on account of tax evasion,` he said.

Mr Akbar said now it was the National Accountability Bureau`s responsibility to take these cases to a logical end. He said a reference was going to be filed against Shahbaz Sharif in TT (telegraphic transfers) cases soon and for this reason alone he (Shahbaz Sharif) had quarantined himself at his home.

`Shahbaz Sharif can no more escape now as he may not be able to go to London, he said.