Court resents over FIA compliance report in money laundering case

LAHORE: A special court hearing a money laundering case against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shehbaz expressed dissatisfaction over the FIA compliance report, ARY NEWS reported.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz were present in the courtroom during the hearing.

Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan expressed resentment over the investigation officer’s report about arrest warrants of absconding accused Salman Shehbaz, Malik Maqsood and Tahir Naqvi.

“A report was submitted an year ago about sending notices to accused to their addresses. Now, the report said that accused were not found at their concerned address,” the judge remarked. “Which of the reports to be believed”, he questioned.

The court also resented over absence of father’s name in warrant against Salman Shehbaz, Tahir Naqvi and exclusion of the name of a deceased accused Ghulam Shabbir from the challan.

FIA lawyer suggested serving warrants to the accused again with a fresh compliance report. “Ghulam Shabbir’s death certificate is one year old, the inquiry was began before it,” the counsel said.

The investigation officer should submit the investigation concerned with Ghulam Shabbir, the court said. “The challan seemed to be submitted again,” the judge said.

Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel Amjad Pervaiz argued that the facts are wrong in the challan. The cases were made by using government machinery, the prosecution was aware that these could not be proved in the court, the counsel said.

The court allowed PM Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz to leave.

The counsel also argued over a plea for permanent exemption to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the case.

The court later suspended the money laundering case hearing for a short break.

The accountability court later extended interim bail of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz till June 04, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Earlier Amjad Pervaiz advocate completed his arguments over endorsement of the interim bail in hearing of money laundering case.

The court directed the counsel of Hamza Shehbaz to present his arguments in the next hearing of the case.

The special court in a previous hearing deferred indictment of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz in the money laundering case.