LHC denies Hamza bail in money laundering case

By News Desk

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday turned down a bail petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz in relation to a money laundering and assets beyond means case against him.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and comprising Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem heard the petition. While hearing the case, the court remarked that Hamza had failed to give satisfactory answers regarding his sources of income. The petitioner’s counsel Salman Aslam Butt advocate stated that money laundering laws did not apply to Hamza as they were introduced after he had allegedly committed the crime.

Hamza’s counsel said the money in question was transferred into his accounts before money laundering laws were introduced. He recalled that the first ordinance against money laundering was introduced in 2007, which lapsed in 90 days. The second ordinance was introduced in 2009, and the actual law against money laundering was introduced in 2010.

The court remarked that if it accepts the applicant’s point of view, the anti-money laundering law will be rendered completely redundant.

The court noted that Hamza’s father, former chief minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, was a three-time public office holder, to which Hamza replied that he himself was not once in any such position. Hamza’s lawyer contended that every detail had been provided in the accused income tax returns. When the court inquired regarding the increase in Hamza’s personal accounts over the years, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor said there was an increase of more than Rs400 million in the said accounts from 2009 till 2018.

The court inquired if the money had been deposited directly into Hamza’s personal accounts, to which the prosecutor responded in the affirmative.

Advocate Butt said the PML-N leader was kept in custody for 189 days and no reference was filed against him. The investigators had neglected section 18 of NAB Ordinance at the time of launching a probe into money laundering case, he added.

Justice Naqvi said the court was not satisfied with assets details of Hamza. “We have to now look over the asset details of Hamza’s father, brother and sister as he received gifts from them,” remarked the LHC judge.