Shahbaz says saved $650 bn Chiniot Mines national assets

LAHORE: PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif while presenting crucial testimony concerning the Chiniot Mines at the NAB court, said that the agreement done in 2007 was in violation of the law.

During the proceedings of the NAB court in the money laundering case, Shahbaz came to the rostrum, and thanked the court for issuing orders regarding his medical needs. He requested for 3 minutes to present his case because he wanted to personally present important details regarding the Chiniot Mines.

He said that the contract was awarded without any bidding to an American citizen who was the brother of Pervez Musharraf's secretary. He said that he exposed these violations, not NAB.

Shahbaz said the he stood up against political and nonpolitical pressure to courageously cancel the corrupt contract which was being forcibly pushed through. He said NAB did not take any action against the minister concerned but had now filed a reference. He said that he doesn't claim to be a saint but he surely had shed sweat and blood for the country and stopped an open attempt at robbing national treasure.

PML-N President said Arshad Waheed had 80 percent shares in the 2007 contract while the province of Punjab only had 20 percent. He said he took action against this over which Arshad moved the High Court. The High Court questioned as to how Punjab government's assets were transferred to an individual.

He told the court that the Chiniot mineral reserves were estimated at over $4 billion. He said the current value of the reserves is $640 billion. He said work on the first phase was underway. He prayed that his actions would lead to the reserves being handed back to Punjab that would lead to annulment of its debts and an end to poverty in the province. In 2010, a court order blocked the way of massive robbery on the nation's resources, he said.

Punjab former chief minister said had he any mala fide intention, he could have benefited immensely from this. He pointed out that he told NAB to register a case in this regard, but NAB refused saying because the court had already prevented the attempted contract, there was no need for a reference. But after 13 years, the NAB had eaten its own words and filed a case out of nowhere.

Shahbaz said that presently valued national assets were gifted to an American. He stressed that he got the $640 billion of the nation back by cancelling the contract in 2008 and then awarding it in accordance with the law, not NAB.

Meanwhile, the accountability court adjourned the hearing of money-laundering and assets beyond means reference against Shahbaz family until January 12 after recording statement of a prosecution witness.

The court has recorded statement of NAB witness Muhammad Ibrahim Malik, an officer of Inland Revenue Department. The jail authorities produced PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz before the court amid tight security as heavy contingents of the law-enforcement had cordoned off the court premises.

The court adjourned the hearing till January 12 and summoned more prosecution witnesses on the same date. The court has also issued notices to the NAB regarding constitution of a medical board for Shahbaz’s health issues. Shahbaz again commented on said notices by saying that the court has issued just simple notices to the Bureau or if they are contempt notices. However, the judge Jawadul Hassan preferred to remain silent on Shahbaz’s comment.

Previously, the court had declared Shahbaz Sharif’s wife Nusrat Shahbaz a proclaimed offender in this case. The court had also declared Shahbaz’s son Suleman Shahbaz, daughter Rabia Imran and son-in-law Ali Imran Yousaf as proclaimed offenders in reference against Shahbaz family. The court had started proceeding against Shahbaz family members by declaring them absconders after they didn’t join the investigation and trial proceedings. The court had also declared three other accused as proclaimed offenders in this case including Haroon Yousaf, Tahir Naqvi and Ali Ahmad Khan.

In the reference against Shahbaz family, the National Accountability Bureau had claimed that in the last 30 years, the Shahbaz family assets increased from Rs2 million to Rs7,000 million that the family had failed to justify. The NAB alleged that Shahbaz in connivance with his co-accused family members, ‘Benamidars’, front men, close associates, employees and moneychangers had developed an organised system of money-laundering for accumulation of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs7,328 million.

The NAB had nominated former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, his wife Nusrat Shahbaz, sons Hamza Shahbaz, Suleman Shahbaz, daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali in the reference. Suleman Shahbaz is already a proclaimed offender in this case. The other nominated persons were: Nisar Ahmad, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi, Ali Muhammad Khan, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Masroor Anwar, Muhammad Usman, Fazal Dad Abbasi, Muhammad Shoaib Qamar and Haroon Yousaf Aziz.