Money laundering, assets beyond means cases: NAB gives clean chit to Shehbaz, his family

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau on Wednesday submitted a report in an accountability court declaring Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shehbaz, and other family members innocent in Rs7 billion references against them for assets beyond means and money laundering.

Earlier, the bureau had declared Shehbaz and his family guilty in the Rs 7 billion references of money laundering and assets beyond means. The NAB submitted a supplementary report to the Accountability Court of Qamar uz Zaman, clearing the names of Shehbaz and others. The court has adjourned until May 24.

The NAB had claimed in references filed against the Shehbaz family that in the last 30 years, their assets had increased from Rs2 million to Rs7,000 million which the family had failed to justify. The NAB had alleged that accused Shehbaz 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 the accumulation of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs7,328 million. The NAB had nominated Shehbaz Sharif, his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, sons Hamza Shehbaz, and Suleman Shehbaz, and daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali in the references. 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.