Earlier a NAB prosecutor told the court that copies of the reference had already been supplied to the accused. He also read charges levelled against Cheema in the reference which he denied and opted to contest them in trial. The NAB alleged that Cheema being director general of the LDA accumulated assets in and outside the country beyond his known sources of income. Cheema also held benami properties in the names of his wife and other family members, the reference said.
The NAB had arrested Cheema on Feb 21, 2018 on charges of misusing his authority with criminal intent and awarding Rs14 billion contracts of Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme.
It alleged that Cheema received illegal gratification in the form of 32 kanals of land from the owners of Paragon City Developers in reward of contract of the housing scheme. Leader of Opposition Shahbaz Sharif, former principal secretary to then Prime Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad were also accused in the same reference.