Assets, money-laundering case: LHC seeks NAB reply by 17th to Hamza’s bail petition

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and sought its reply on a petition filed by leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz, seeking post-arrest bail in the reference of money laundering and assets beyond means.

Advocate Amjad Pervez advanced his initial arguments on behalf of the petitioner before a division bench headed by Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar who directed a special prosecutor of the NAB to submit a reply to the petition by Feb 17.

The counsel contended that the petitioner was arrested on June 11, 2019, while the reference was filed on Aug 20, 2020, whereas the charges were framed on Nov 11, 2020, after a period of unconscionable delay of 17 months. He said the delay was not on part of the petitioner in any manner whatsoever. The counsel further said that sufficient material was not available on record to make an offence in term of section 9(a)(v) of NAO 1999 as the prosecution failed to collect evidence as to the requisite constituents of the said of fence.

He said the allegations of money laundering and assets beyond means against the petitioner were false and frivolous as the petitioner had not been given the credit of income on account of number of known sources of income duly declared by him from time to time.

He stated that the petitioner was the leader of the opposition in the provincial assembly and his right to attend the assembly session as legislator and to represent one`s constituency had been recognised as fundamental right and a valid ground for bail by the courts.