Shahbaz, Hamza indicted in money laundering case

Ag Agencies

LAHORE: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, his son Punjab opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz and others were indicted by an accountability court on Wednesday in a money laundering and assets beyond means case.

Judge Syed Jawadul Hassan conducted the case proceedings, wherein jail authorities produced Shahbaz, Hamza and others on the expiry of their judicial remand terms. As the indictments were read out, the accused pleaded not guilty and opted for a trial.

Shahbaz stated before the court that all allegations levelled against him were baseless and vowed to produce solid evidence in his defence. He also stated that he was taken to hospital the day prior but a physiotherapist had yet to be provided to him.

At this, the court remarked that the matter would be decided in accordance with the law and it would be heard tomorrow (Friday). The PML-N president has frequently complained of back aches, and has been seen in multiple past press conferences wearing a back brace.

The court then directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to produce its three witnesses at the next hearing on November 26, and adjourned further hearing.

The NAB has implicated 16 people in the case, and 10 were indicted on Wednesday. In addition to Shahbaz and Hamza — Javeria Ali, Fazl Dad Abbasi, Rashid Karamat, Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Nisar Ahmad, Shoaib Qamar, and Qasim Qayyum were indicted during the hearing.

Shahbaz’s son Salman Shahbaz, Nusrat Shahbaz, Rabia Imran, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi, Haroon Yousafzai and one more person were not indicted due to their absence.

In the case comprising 55 volumes, the bureau alleges Shahbaz Sharif’s family laundered money in the billions. Yasir Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Shahid Rafique and Aftab were made approvers in the reference.

After the indictment, PML-N Spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “The people reject the indictment of NAB against Shahbaz Sharif.” In a series of tweets, she said Shahbaz “has been charged for serving Punjab and the people”.

She questioned why “sugar thieves”, those responsible for the Peshawar BRT’s “126-billion-rupee holes”, foreign funding, helicopter and the billion tree tsunami cases were not indicted. Aurangzeb added it was “necessary to charge Shahbaz Sharif because the ‘selected gang’ has failed on every front” and so no one could question inflation, the “fall of Kashmir” and those she called “fake vote thieves”.

The Prime Minister’s accountability tsar, Shahzad Akbar said Shahbaz failed to give any satisfactory responses to the allegations, “only that he has back aches or that the jail facilities are unsatisfactory”. “These prisons and hospitals were built by you (Shahbaz),” Akbar said. He also said when they (Sharifs) were in power, “they did not get any back aches”.