LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday arrested Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz from the Lahore High Court (LHC) in two cases pertaining to money laundering, corruption and assets beyond means.

The NAB team has brought Hamza Shahbaz to its office at Thokar Niaz Baig in the metropolis. A two-member bench of the high court dismissed the bail pleas after Hamza’s counsellor opted to withdraw the applications in the two corruption cases.

Prior to this, Hamza told the media that corruption of not even one rupee could be proven against him.

The son of President Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, is facing inquiries in the references related to Ramzan Sugar Mills, money laundering and assets beyond means.

His arrest comes on the day when federal budget is going to be presented in the National Assembly and one day after former president Asif Ali Zardari was arrested by the NAB in Islamabad. Hamza Shahbaz, who is also director of Ramzan Sugar Mills, is accused of embezzling Rs200 million from public funds to build a bridge exclusively benefiting the sugar mill in Chiniot. The money, according to the NAB, was released by the then Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.