Shahbaz Sharif moves LHC for bail in money laundering case

LAHORE: Opposition leader in THE National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Friday approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) for post-arrest bail in a money-laundering and assets-beyond-means graft case.

He filed a petition through Advocate Amjad Pervaiz, wherein the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and director general have been made respondents.

In his plea, Shahbaz said the NAB “fabricated” a money-laundering case against him with “mala fide intention”, as all of his assets had already been declared.

He sought bail on various grounds, including the one that his custody was no longer required and trial would take time to complete. He submitted that the bureau had already filed charge-sheet and the trial was in process in an accountability court.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president submitted that he was in detention for past many months, whereas conclusion of the trial was not in sight and it would take a long time to complete. He stated that the NAB had all the record and it had nothing to recover from him. He further submitted that he could not perform his constitutional responsibilities as the opposition leader while in detention, adding he happens to be 70 years old and a cancer survivor.

The opposition leader assured that he would attend trial proceedings regularly and pleaded with the court to grant him bail.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, is likely to hear the petition on March 29.

The NAB has nominated 16 persons as accused in the case, however, only 10 out of 16 have been indicted so far. In a reference, comprising 55 volumes, the bureau has alleged that Shahbaz Sharif and family committed massive money laundering of Rs7 billion.