LAHORE: An anti-corruption court on Monday adjourned the proceedings on the Ramzan Sugar Mills case against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza without any progress. Judge Sardar Iqbal Dogar was scheduled to hear the case, but the hearing could not take place due to his unavailability. Prime Minister Shehbaz was represented by his pleader Anwaar Hussain while Hamza Shehbaz once again skipped the hearing due to a back injury. His legal team submitted a request for a one-time exemption from personal appearance. The next hearing is now scheduled for Jan 13, when the lawyers of PM Shehbaz and Hamza would present arguments on their acquittal petitions. On Oct 17, an accountability court transferred the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference to the anti-corruption court due to lack of jurisdiction following amendments introduced in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999. The NAB, after the amendment, cannot prosecute an alleged offence involving money less than Rs500 million and the offence amount in the mills reference was below the minimum value. The accountability court was informed that the NAB in its reference made a case of alleged corruption of Rs213 million. The NAB reference filed in 2018 alleged that PM Shehbaz being chief minister and his son Hamza with the abetment and connivance of each other caused a loss to national exchequer of Rs213m by committing the offence of misuse of authority. It said Mr Shehbaz had issued a directive for the construction of a drain in Chiniot district primarily for the use of Ramzan Sugar Mills owned by his sons - Hamza and Suleman.