Shahbaz family money-laundering case adjourned till May 4

By Our Correspondent
April 16, 2021

LAHORE: An accountability court adjourned the hearing of money-laundering and assets beyond means reference against Shahbaz family until May 4. The court has directed prosecution witnesses to appear on the next hearing.

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As the hearing commenced Thursday, counsel of Hamza Shahbaz moved an application before the court seeking one-time exemption from personal appearance before the court due to his health issues. On the other hand, Shahbaz was not produced before the court due to law and order situation. The court while accepting Hamza’s plea has adjourned the hearing till May 4. In the reference against Shahbaz family, the NAB had claimed that in the last 30 years, the Shahbaz family assets increased from Rs2 million to Rs7,000 million that the family had failed to justify. The NAB alleged accused Shahbaz Sharif in connivance with his co-accused family members, ‘benamidars’, front men, close associates, employees and moneychangers had developed an organised system of money-laundering for accumulation of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs 7,328 million.

The NAB had nominated Punjab’s former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, his wife Nusrat Shahbaz, sons Hamza Shahbaz, Suleman Shahbaz, daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali in the reference. Suleman Shahbaz is already a proclaimed offender in this case. The other nominated accused are: Nisar Ahmad, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi, Ali Muhammad Khan, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Masroor Anwar, Muhammad Usman, Fazal Dad Abbasi, Muhammad Shoaib Qamar and Haroon Yousaf Aziz.

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