Pak courtroom bars arrest of PM Shehbaz Sharif’s son on arrival in cash laundering case

A Pakistan courtroom has barred the arrest of Suleman Shehbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a cash laundering case.

Islamabad,UPDATED: Dec 8, 2022 23:22 IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. (AFP photograph)

By Press Trust of India: A high courtroom in Pakistan on Thursday barred the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a cash laundering case when he’s anticipated to return to the nation on Sunday after 4 years of self-exile in London.

During the listening to of Suleman’s plea for protecting bail in a cash laundering case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) additionally requested him to give up earlier than it by December 13.

Suleman has been in London along with his household since 2018, when the National Accountability Bureau accused him of cash laundering.

He had filed a plea earlier than the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday, searching for protecting bail that might allow him to give up earlier than a trial courtroom.

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During the proceedings, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued directives for the applicant, asking him to give up earlier than the courtroom by Dec 13 and barred the FIA from arresting him till then.

Justice Farooq stated it was needed for an applicant to be current within the courtroom whereas searching for protecting bail, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Suleman’s lawyer instructed the courtroom that his consumer was returning to Islamabad by way of Saudi Arabia on Sunday (December 11). “He wants to appear before the relevant authorities,” he stated.

Following the arguments, the courtroom accepted the protecting bail and directed him to seem earlier than it by December 13.

The prime minister’s son is at the moment in Saudi Arabia — to carry out Umrah — on his technique to Pakistan.

The FIA had booked Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza and Suleman in November 2020 beneath varied sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and of Anti Money Laundering Act.

Arrest warrants had been issued for Suleman. However, in its report submitted to the courtroom, the FIA had acknowledged that the warrants couldn’t be executed since Suleman was not current at his tackle and had gone overseas.

A trial courtroom had additionally declared him a proclaimed offender, together with one other suspect in a Rs16 billion cash laundering case, in July this 12 months.

According to the FIA report, the investigation crew “detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs 16.3 billion was committed from 2008-18. The FIA examined a money trail of 17,000 credit transactions.”

The report added that the quantity was saved in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

In an announcement reported by Dawn, Suleman stated he was compelled to go away Pakistan for the sake of his security after “fake and manipulated cases” had been registered in opposition to him and his household with a purpose to “facilitate a new political order”.

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Published On:

Dec 8, 2022