Pakistan's anti-graft body gives clean chit to PM Shehbaz Sharif & son in money laundering case

ISLAMABAD: In a major relief for Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has declared the father-son duo were 'innocent' in a money laundering case after it conducted a re-investigation, a media report said on Wednesday.

The case was filed by the anti-corruption agency in 2020, which alleged that Shehbaz and his family members were involved in money laundering and illegal transfer of funds through fake accounts.

The supplementary report was submitted to the accountability court and presented during the hearing conducted by Accountability Court judge Qamar-ul-Zaman, Samaa TV reported on its website.

During Wednesday's hearing, Hamza Shehbaz filed a petition seeking an exemption from attendance on medical grounds, which was approved by the court.

The supplementary report, submitted on Monday, stated that the 71-year-old prime minister, his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, son Hamza Shehbaz, and other accused were found to have no involvement in the matter after a re-investigation.

According to the NAB official, the corruption allegations could not be substantiated under the NAB Amendment Act.

The court, however, adjourned further proceedings till May 24 and extended the interim bails of Haroon Yousaf Aziz, prime minister's son-in-law, and co-accused Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi until May 24.

The development comes as the country is bracing for another day of violence that broke out in many cities after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday for alleged corruption by the paramilitary Rangers on the orders of the NAB.

In December 2020 when Khan was in power, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted a challan against Shehbaz and his son Hamza before the court for the duo's alleged involvement in laundering Rs 16 billion in a sugar scam case.

The investigation team "detected 28 Benami [untitled] accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs 16.3 billion was committed from 2008 to 2018," according to the report. It examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions.

Shehbaz and Hamza were booked in the case along with the prime minister's other son, Suleman Shehbaz, who was absconding in the United Kingdom, and 14 other people were also named in the FIR.

The report revealed that the amount was kept under “hidden accounts” which were given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity.

The wealthy Sharif family has consistently denied any involvement in money laundering or other illegal financial activities. They have maintained that the case against them is politically motivated and an attempt to discredit their reputation and influence in the country.

The FIA also gave a clean chit to Suleman Shehbaz, stating that the agency found ‘no evidence of his involvement in the money laundering case', according to the report.