Money-laundering case against Shahbaz family: LHC dismisses bail pleas of 3 co-suspects

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Thursday dismissed post-arrest bail petitions of three co-suspects in money-laundering case against family members of Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif.

The petitioners through counsel argued that the NAB had failed in proving even a single allegation against them. Shoaib Qamar, Fazal Dad Abbasi and Qasim Qayyum sought bails.

The counsel said the petitioners had been providing service of transporting cash between companies and banks. He said there was no allegation of corruption on the petitioners. He pointed out that another co-suspect in the case namely Mushtaq Cheeni had already been released on bail. He further said the Bureau had not filed its reference despite lapse of seven months.

A NAB prosecutor opposed the bails and argued that the petitioners were in business of money changing and had been laundering money for Hamza and Salman, sons of former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif. He said the petitioners transferred huge money to the Shahbaz family from different foreign companies and banks. He said the petitioners were in fact front men of Hamza and Salman. After hearing the arguments, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi dismissed the petitions.