Court acquits PM Shehbaz, Hamza in money laundering, assets beyond means case
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An accountability court in Lahore Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shehbaz and 10 others in the money laundering and assets beyond means case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Accountability Court No. 9 Judge Qamaruz Zaman pronounced the verdict on the acquittal pleas of the accused in Rs7 billion money laundering case, Shehbaz Sharif along with all the co-accused including Hamza (son), Nusrat Shehbaz (wife), Javeria Ali (daughter), Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed and Nisar Ahmed were declared innocent.
The accused had filed petitions seeking acquittal, basing their argument on NAB's inability to present any evidence against them.
The court also ordered unfreezing of Shehbaz Sharif family’s assets. The court, however, issued a perpetual arrest warrant for Shehbaz Sharif's daughter Rabia Imran, who had earlier been declared absconder in the case.
The investigation officer told the court: “In the supplementary investigation report of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), no evidence of corruption and money laundering was found against Shehbaz Sharif and others.”
“The accusations of unnamed properties and assets beyond means have not been proved in the investigation,” he added.
While pronouncing the decision reserved earlier this month, the AC judge said that it had no other choice except to acquit the accused, as NAB had said that it did not have anything against them.
The anti-graft watchdog had filed the reference for the inquiry underway since 2018, in August 2020, when PM Shehbaz had been serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. Shehbaz Sharif was arrested by the NAB officials after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail in the case on September 29.
An accountability court had indicted the prime minister, son Hamza, and other accused after over a month on November 11, 2020, but Shehbaz Sharif was released two months later.
Reporter: Jamaluddin Jamali