Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz’s indictment in a money laundering case was again deferred on Saturday as the court of Special Judge Central Ijaz Ahmed Awan accepted the prime minister’s plea for exemption from appearance in a money laundering case due to his engagements in London and adjourned its hearing until May 21, 2022, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

PM Shehbaz’s son, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, however, appeared in the court.    

During the hearing, Amjad Pervaiz Advocate, the prime minister’s counsel, while giving arguments against the indictment of his client, told the court that there was a mention of Ramzan Sugar Mills, Al-Arabia Sugar Mills and Sharif Group of Companies in the FIR registered against the prime minister. “However, the fact of the matter is that he has nothing to do with all these companies and mills. He has never been the director of any of these companies,” he said, adding that the prime minister had never been even the shareholder in the Ramzan Sugar Mills.    

The lawyer went on to add that not a single penny was transferred in his client’s bank account from any of these ‘fake’ accounts. 

He claimed that all corruption references against his client had been filed in the PTI government without any investigation. 

Court orders CCPO to submit Ashiana Housing society case record: 

On the other hand, a court in Lahore also accepted the application filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for exemption from appearance in Ashiana Iqbal Housing Society reference and adjourned hearing of the case until May 21. 

The court also expressed its displeasure over the police’s failure to submit to it the case record, and issued a notice to the CCPO Lahore to bring with him the record on the next date of the hearing.   

Iram Shehzadi, a law officer at the Home Department, told the court that since the case had been registered five years back, in 2017, police had lost its record. “Therefore, it is prayed to the court to grant more time to the police so that the record could be traced,” she requested.                   

Reporters: Jamaluddin Jamali, Shaheen Atiq and Rawal Khan