Court initiates process to declare Shahbaz’s son-in-law PO

LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday initiated proceedings to declare PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif's son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf a proclaimed offender (PO).

He is an accused in Punjab Power Development Company case. Accountability Court Judge Syed Najamul Hassan initiated proceedings to declare Imran Ali as a PO on the request of accountability bureau’s prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua.

The NAB prosecutor implored the court that the arrest warrants for Imran had been issued by NAB chairman, but the same could not be executed as the accused had gone underground and was not traceable.

The prosecutor further contended that under such circumstances, no option was left for NAB but to proceed against the accused under Section 87 of the CrPC. The court, after hearing the plea of NAB, initiated proceedings to declare Imran as a proclaimed offender. As per details of Imran Ali case, the bureau accused him of receiving graft money from the CEO of the Punjab Power Development Company (PPDC) Ikram Naveed. He has also been accused of getting appointed Ikram Naveed as the CEO PPDC.

Imran Ali had not been appearing before the bureau since April. That was why the bureau had asked the interior ministry to extradite Yousaf via Interpol. Before that, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) had carried out an investigation against Ikram Naveed and Yousaf in 2016. It declared Naveed guilty of embezzling Rs450 million.

The ACE, in its investigation, found that Naveed had purchased 19 properties in his and his family members’ names and also unearthed his and his family members property worth over Rs1 billion. Later, in April, NAB arrested Ikram Naveed over the charges of corruption worth millions.