In a significant development, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has submitted a supplementary report to the accountability court stating that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz are "innocent" in the money laundering case against them.
Judge Qamar-ul-Zaman of the Accountability Court heard the case, and PM Shehbaz was represented in court by his lawyer, Anwar Hussain.
However, Hamza Shehbaz submitted a plea for a medical exemption from attendance at the hearing today, and the court granted it.
According to the supplementary report, PM Shehbaz, his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, son Hamza Shehbaz, and other accused were found to have no participation in the case during the re-investigation.
The NAB officer informed the court that the accused's charges of corruption could not be supported under the NAB Amendment Act.
However, the court postponed further proceedings until May 24 and extended the interim bail of co-accused Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi and Haroon Yousaf Aziz, the son-in-law of the prime minister.
It is pertinent to mention here that the NAB brought the case, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif and his family were involved in money laundering and the unauthorized movement of funds through fictitious accounts.
The two PML-N leaders were named in a challan that the FIA filed in court in December 2020 for their alleged participation in the laundering of Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case.
The investigation team had "found 28 Benami [untitled] accounts of the Shehbaz family used for Rs16.3 billion in money laundering from 2008 to 2018." It looked at 17,000 credit transactions' financial records.
Along with Suleman Shehbaz, who was absconding in the United Kingdom, PM Shehbaz and Hamza were booked in connection with the crime. In the FIR, 14 other people were also listed.
The Sharif family has repeatedly denied taking part in any form of money laundering or other unlawful financial activity. They have insisted that the accusations made against them are politically motivated and an effort to damage their name and power in the country.
Judge Qamar-ul-Zaman of the Accountability Court heard the case, and PM Shehbaz was represented in court by his lawyer, Anwar Hussain.
However, Hamza Shehbaz submitted a plea for a medical exemption from attendance at the hearing today, and the court granted it.
According to the supplementary report, PM Shehbaz, his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, son Hamza Shehbaz, and other accused were found to have no participation in the case during the re-investigation.
The NAB officer informed the court that the accused's charges of corruption could not be supported under the NAB Amendment Act.
However, the court postponed further proceedings until May 24 and extended the interim bail of co-accused Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi and Haroon Yousaf Aziz, the son-in-law of the prime minister.
It is pertinent to mention here that the NAB brought the case, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif and his family were involved in money laundering and the unauthorized movement of funds through fictitious accounts.
The two PML-N leaders were named in a challan that the FIA filed in court in December 2020 for their alleged participation in the laundering of Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case.
The investigation team had "found 28 Benami [untitled] accounts of the Shehbaz family used for Rs16.3 billion in money laundering from 2008 to 2018." It looked at 17,000 credit transactions' financial records.
Along with Suleman Shehbaz, who was absconding in the United Kingdom, PM Shehbaz and Hamza were booked in connection with the crime. In the FIR, 14 other people were also listed.
The Sharif family has repeatedly denied taking part in any form of money laundering or other unlawful financial activity. They have insisted that the accusations made against them are politically motivated and an effort to damage their name and power in the country.