Lahore Court summons PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz on Oct 8 in money laundering case
Oct 06, 2022
Lahore [Pakistan], October 6 : The Lahore special central court has summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province Hamza Shahbaz on October 8 in a money laundering case, local media reported.
According to ARY News, Special court judge Aijaz Awan is hearing the PKR 16 billion money laundering case against prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and his sons. In the two-page written order of the previous hearing, the judge said Hamza Shahbaz was granted a one-day exemption from the court appearance due to back pain.
The court has directed the PML-N leader to appear before the court on October 8 hearing, the media report added.
The written order further said Amjad Pervez gave arguments on the acquittal of PM Shehbaz Sharif from the case at the last hearing and he will continue them at the next hearing, ARY News reported.
Notably, The Pak PM and his two sons were booked by the country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in November 2020 under "sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act."
On the last hearing of the case on October 4, the court granted permanent exemption from court appearance to prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in the case.
According to the Pakistani media reports, Shehbaz's lesser-known son Suleman Shehbaz is in the UK and has been declared an absconder. A total of 14 others have also been named in the FIR in an anti-corruption act.
Back in December last year, Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza before the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs 16 billion in the sugar scam case.
The FIA report added that the amount was kept in "hidden accounts" and given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity.
"The investigation team has detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions," the FIA report had said.
