Money-laundering case: Nusrat Shahbaz moves LHC against warrant

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif’s wife, Nusrat Shahbaz, has moved the Lahore High Court (LHC), challenging the issuance of arrest warrants by the Accountability Court (AC) and rejecting her plea for a permanent exemption from court appearance in a money laundering case. Nusrat Shahbaz states in her petition that she is residing in a foreign country for medical treatment for a long time prior to the approval of the NAB’s investigation and filing of the reference. She points out that she has moved a petition in the national accountability court, seeking exemption from personal appearance but the court turned it down without any legal justification. She says that she is suffering from different disease and currently receiving medical treatment abroad, which stops her to arrive in the country for appearing in the hearings. Nusrat pleads the high court to set aside the verdict of the NAB court, regarding issuance of arrest warrants against her. Earlier on November 2 last year, an Accountability Court had rejected the plea of Nusrat Shahbaz, seeking permanent exemption from the court appearance in the money laundering case after hearing arguments from both sides.

The court had also directed to initiate the process of declaring Nusrat as a proclaimed offender and the director-general (DG) of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi chapter was asked to submit asset details of the accused.