An alleged frontman of PML-N leader Salman Shahbaz and his brother, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz, seeking forgiveness from the NAB’s Accountability Court confessed to having laundered over Rs600 million for the two brothers, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.
It is pertinent to note that Mushtaq Cheeni is a wholesale dealer for Ramzan Sugar Mills and in June he made a confessional statement recorded by a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC said that Hamza and Salman used to receive foreign remittances through bank accounts of his company, Mushtaq and Co.
Now, Mushtaq Cheeni sought forgiveness from the NAB’s Accountability Court and recorded his statement before the court.
The TV channel reported Mushtaq Cheeni said he is completely embarrassed for what he has done in return for business favour and all the money laundered was done in pursuit of greed.
“In 2014, I was asked to launder money of Salman Shahbaz on which I expressed my limitations but then again hoping for business favour, I approved the transaction,” Mushtaq Cheeni said.
He said: “Rs 214 million and Rs 293 million were Telegraphic Transaction (TT) from Circular Road Branch in 2014. Salman Shahbaz showed that I borrowed a loan from Salman Shahbaz, this was done as per the fictional agreements.”
He said he handed over the cheques for the said amount to Muhammad Usman. Cheeni said Rs100million were transferred to his account form Waqar Trading Company and he also gave the cheque of the said amount to Usman.
He said Qasim Qayyum and Abdul Qayyum also made Telegraphic Transaction (TT) from his bank account worth Rs600 million.
He said all these transactions were made in the pretext of fictitious documents according to which he had borrowed Rs600million from Salman Shehbaz. He said to look it like real Salman had also transferred RS100million to his account.
The court has ordered to provide the copies of Cheeni’s statement to Hamza Shehbaz, Shehbaz SHrif and other accused in the case.