An accountability court on Tuesday reserved its verdict over Shehbaz Sharif’s plea against freezing of his family assets. The verdict was reserved by the NAB court after completion of the arguments of the NAB’s special prosecutor. The verdict will be pronounced today (Wednesday).
At the outset of the hearing in the court, the NAB submitted complete record recording freezing of the Shehbaz’s family assets. According to the NAB report, the Shehbaz Sharif family accumulated assets of billions of rupees through money laundering.
At last hearing of the case, the court had asked from the investigation office (IO) about the purchase date of houses located in Model Town. “The houses were purchased before coming into the power”, the IO had replied to the court’s query.
Meanwhile, an accountability court on Tuesday permitted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to interrogate Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior politician and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz in the money laundering case.
The accountability watchdog has been investigating into money laundering accusations against Hamza, and new evidence has been found in the case after the arrest of Nisar Gul. The investigation team will grill the PML-N leader about benami companies.
On Nov 28, the court had extended Hamza Shahbaz’s judicial remand for another 14 days. The court had ordered the NAB prosecutor to file reference of the money laundering case.
On April 9, the court had indicted Hamza and his father Shehbaz in the same case.
However, both accused had denied the charges against them, and maintained that they had saved Rs 2,300 billion, assuring that the money was not misused.
On June 11, the accountability watchdog had arrested Hamza in the same cases shifted him to the bureau’s headquarter at Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore as the Lahore High Court (LHC) turned down his applications for extension in his interim bail.
Court permits NAB to interrogate Hamza Shahbaz in jail Court permits NAB to interrogate Hamza Shahbaz in jail
NICL
Separately, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday rejected National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea against the acquittal of the accused named in the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) corruption case due to lack of evidence.
The court maintained Lahore High Court’s verdict and set Ayaz Niazi, the main accused in NICL corruption case and others free over lack of evidence filed by the anti-graft watchdog body.
“NAB’s evidences are not much sufficient to prove the charges against the accused”, the top court’s bench remarked.
It may be noted that then CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry had taken suo motu notice of the alleged corruption in the NICL.
The story of over Rs six billion NICL scam broke in 2009-10 when Mohsin Warraich’s company, Messrs Privilege, purchased 803 kanals from the NICL at Mauza Toor, Lahore, for a sum of Rs 1.68bn. The company allegedly sold the land without getting the property mutated in its favour.
SC rejects NAB’s plea against acquittal of accused in NICL corruption case
The NICL also sold land measuring 20 kanals near the Lahore Airport Road to Mohsin Warraich for Rs 1.7bn. It sold the land at a rate of Rs 5.3 million per kanal, although its market value was much higher.
Initially the scam was being investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), but it was transferred to NAB in 2014 on the directives of the Supreme Court.
Ahsan Iqbal
On the other hand, the NAB authorities have claimed progress in the corruption case against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) central leader Ahsan Iqbal.
According to a private TV channel, NAB Rawalpindi chapter received a complete record of Narowal Sports City project to investigate the alleged financial irregularity which took the estimated construction cost of Rs 300 million to Rs 3 billion.
Moreover, the anti-corruption watchdog has also decided to take responsibility of the probe being carried out by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the project. Ahsan Iqbal is accused of starting the project worth Rs 3 billion illegally. Pakistan Sports Board is also accused of illegally using its authority for the construction of this project.
