Hamza Shahbaz skips money laundering hearing citing backache

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday skipped a court appearance in a money laundering case against the Sharif family, citing backache, ARY News reported.

An accountability court in Lahore heard the money laundering case against the Sharif family in which the lawyer of Hamza Shahbaz Sharif submitted plea seeking exemption from court appearance.

The lawyers stated that Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is suffering from backache he cannot appear before the court and pleaded for a day exemption.

Earlier, in a separate case, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz were acquitted in money laundering case.

The judge of the special court Central-I Ijaz Hassan Awan announced the verdict related to the acquittal of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz in the money laundering case.

In November 2020, the FIA had lodged the First Information Report (FIR) against Shehbaz and Hamza Shahbaz for alleged Rs25 money laundering. Later in July 2021, the accused secured interim bail from a banking court. The case was later shifted to the special court Central-I.

In March 2022, the charge sheet of the money laundering case was submitted in which the amount of laundered money was reduced from Rs25 billion to Rs16 billion, whereas, the names of 100 witnesses were presented to the concerned court.