Money-laundering, assets beyond means: Court summons wife, daughter of Shahbaz on 14th

LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday summoned again wife and daughter of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif in a money-laundering and assets beyond means reference against the Shahbaz family. The court has summoned Shahbaz’s daughter Rabia Imran and wife Nusrat Shahbaz on September 14. The court directed police officials to make another effort on compliance of arrest warrants issued against Suleman Shahbaz, son of Shahbaz Sharif. Shahbaz and his daughter Javeria Ali appeared before the court. However, Hamza Shahbaz, who is a co-accused in the case, could not join proceedings as jail officials didn’t produce him before the court due to his health conditions. The court while handing over copies of the reference to the accused present in the court summoned all the accused and other officials concerned on September 14.

Shahbaz in the courtroom said he has saved billions of rupees of the country. Talking about sugar subsidy in his tenure, he said he gave benefits to farmers with his decisions. He claimed his decisions were not in favour of businesses of his family members but he gave benefit to the people of Pakistan.

The PML-N president said he and his brother Nawaz Sharif suffered billions in losses and the businesses of their next generation also suffered losses instead of profit due to the decisions taken by the PML-N government. He reminded that the Sindh government set the price of sugarcane at Rs 180 per mound which dropped to Rs 165 and was later set at Rs 160 by the Sindh High Court. This he said created an outrage in Punjab and he was put under tremendous pressure by the Sugar Mills Association to match the process set by Sindh instead of Rs 180 per mound in Punjab, but he did not cave in. Shahbaz said he neither lost the price nor gave any subsidy. The sugar mills owned by his family suffered losses of around Rs 1 billion due to this decision. His son Suleman's mill lost Rs 460 million while those of his nephews lost Rs 420 million, he added. Shahbaz said this was his humble offering to the spirit and principle of serving the national interest over personal interest.

The court after hearing Shahbaz said his statement will be recorded on his time and assured him that he will be given a fair trial.

According to the reference, the NAB nominated former chief minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, his wife Nusrat Shahbaz, sons Hamza Shahbaz, Suleman Shahbaz, daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali in the reference. Suleman Shahbaz is a proclaimed offender in this case.

The other nominated accused include Nisar Ahmad, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi, Ali Muhammad Khan, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Masroor Anwer, Muhammad Usman, Fazal Dad Abbasi, Muhammad Shoaib Qamar and Haroon Yousafzai.

The NAB accepted requests from four people for becoming approvers against the Shahbaz family in the reference including Muhammad Mushtaq alias Mushtaq Cheeni, his son Yasir Mushtaq, Shahid Rafique and Aftab Ahmad. It has been learnt that the reference consists of 25,000 pages and 55 volumes.

In June 2019, Muhammad Mushtaq alias Cheeni and his son Yasir Mushtaq, front men for the Shahbaz family, while recording their statements before the court, confessed that they facilitated Suleman Shahbaz in whitening his Rs 600 million black money through fake loan agreements and engineered telegraphic transfers (TTs). They revealed that in early 2014, fake TTs worth Rs 214 million were made through accounts of his company. “I don’t know the names of people and companies used for the said fake telegraphic transfers,” Cheeni said.

Meanwhile, another accountability court adjourned the hearing of the Aashiana Iqbal scam against Shahbaz and others till September 14.