LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz has been summoned by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on June 24 in connection with the ongoing probe into the Ramzan Sugar Mills case, ARY News reported on Wednesday.
Hamza Shehbaz has been summoned by the investigation agency as sugar mills’ chief executive officer (CEO). Sources told ARY News that the politician could be arrested for not appearing in the inquiry.
Sources added that Hamza had opened and operated bank accounts on the names of his employees. The PML-N leader is accused of transferring Rs25 billion by using the bank accounts between 2008 and 2018 when he was Ramzan Sugar Mills’ CEO and also performing duties as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA).
On November 11, an accountability court had indicted Shehbaz, his son Hamza, daughter and other family members in a money-laundering reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Shehbaz Sharif daughter Javeria Ali along with seven other nominated accused appeared in court.
Read: SC dismisses bail plea of Hamza Shehbaz in money laundering case
The opposition leader is facing a number of corruption inquiries, including alleged accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income, financial irregularities in the Saaf Pani Company and illegal construction of a bridge at the expense of taxpayers’ money to facilitate the Ramzan Sugar Mills.
The NAB had also filed a reference accusing former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shahbaz and others for causing losses to the national exchequer and misusing authority by sanctioning the construction of a bridge to facilitate the sugar mills.
NAB officials say, Shehbaz Sharif, being the chief minister of Punjab, misused his authority by issuing directives for the construction of a 10-kilometre-long drain in Chiniot primarily to benefit the sugar mill owned by his sons. Shehbaz and Hamza have been accused of fraudulently causing a Rs 213 million loss to the national exchequer.
