Sharif family-owned company offices raided by Nab in Lahore

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau teams raided on Saturday the offices of the Sharif family-owned businesses in Lahore's Model Town.

PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed that the raids took place under the accountability watchdog around 12:30pm today.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the Nab officials raided the offices situated at 55-K and F-91 in Model Town.

The PML-N spokesperson said that the Nab should also raid the mills belonging to PTI leaders Khusro Bakhtiar and Jahangir Tareen, calling the raids an attempt to divert attention from the businesses owned by the ruling party's leadership.

Aurangzeb said that during the past 18 months, the probe body failed to prove any corruption against the Sharif family.

She further stated that the Nab officials do not give any notice prior to conducting raids.

The Sharif family is accused of using the Chaudhry Sugar Mills for money-laundering and illegal transfer of its shares. As per NAB, the bureau in January 2018 had received a Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) report describing huge suspicious transactions in billions of rupees in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills under Anti-Money Laundering Act.

On Friday, an accountability court accepted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s plea requesting exemption from appearing before it on medical grounds in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

Rana Sanaullah condemns raids, calls them 'shameful' 

PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah addressed a press conference later in the day, where he called the raids ‘shameful’ and ‘disappointing’.

“There is no democracy in the country, the institutions should not work on personal agendas,” said the PML-N leader, condemning the raids.

“I request the officers working in these (state) institutions to use their official power within the limits of the constitution and law,” he said, adding that the investigations should not be carried out on the basis of vengeance.

Sanaullah said that the continuation of such acts will widen rifts among the political parties which can be counterproductive for the country’s progress.