Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and his household acquitted in cash laundering case

An accountability court docket in Lahore on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shehbaz and spouse Nusrat Shehbaz in Pakistani Rupees (PKR) Rs 8 billion cash laundering reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau, reported Dawn.

In August 2020, NAB filed an Rs 8 billion reference of cash laundering in opposition to Shehbaz — who was the opposition chief on the time — his two sons and different relations. The court docket acquitted Shehbaz Sharif, all of the co-accused, together with his spouse Nusrat Shehbaz, his daughter Javeria Ali, Hamza Shehbaz, Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed and Nisar Ahmed, apart from one, in keeping with Geo News report.

The court docket issued a perpetual arrest warrant for Shehbaz Sharif’s daughter Rabia Imran. As per the Geo News report, she had been declared absconder within the case.

The court docket’s choice comes after the accused filed petitions in search of acquittal on the premise of their argument on NAB’s incapacity to supply any proof in opposition to them.

The NAB investigators have additionally stated no proof was discovered in opposition to them. While saying the decision, the court docket stated that it had no different possibility besides to acquit the accused as NAB has stated they haven’t any proof in opposition to them.

In August 2020, the anti-graft watchdog filed the reference for the inquiry underway since 2018, Geo News reported. At the time, Shehbaz Sharif served because the chief of the opposition within the Pakistan National Assembly.

NAB arrested Shehbaz Sharif after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail within the case on September 29. An accountability court docket indicted Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, and others accused on November 11, 2020. However, Shehbaz Sharif was launched on bail in April 2021.

Last week, a particular district court docket acquitted Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz and others accused in a cash laundering case, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported.

The choice got here because the district court docket was listening to acquittal pleas filed by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s son, Suleman, and different accused in PKR Rs 16 billion cash laundering case. However, the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) have earlier replied to 27 questions requested by the court docket, reported The Express Tribune.

During the listening to, the court docket requested whether or not the FIA had recorded any written assertion by any witness through the probe to which the FIA’s investigation officer (IO) Ali Mardan remained silent. The court docket additional requested about their actions in opposition to those that saved altering their stance through the investigation.

According to the report, the investigation officer responded that no motion was taken. However, the FIA lawyer added that there was no direct proof in opposition to Suleman relating to cash laundering, The Express Tribune reported.

The court docket accepted the pleas submitted by the accused and acquitted Suleman and others from the case. 

(This information report is printed from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content material has not been written or edited by OpIndia workers)