Money laundering: Sharif family's 'frontmen' feign ignorance about currency exchange firms

LAHORE: Two alleged frontmen of the Sharif family, who allegedly laundering Punjab Assembly opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz and his brother Suleman Shehbaz’s wealth to other countries, have feigned ignorance about currency exchange firms involved in the money laundering scam, reported ARY News on Saturday.

Sources relayed Qasim Qayyum and Fazal Dad Abbasi refused to pick out the money exchange companies allegedly used to launder millions of rupees for Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and his two sons.

Qasim Qayyum was not even familiar with his cousin Shahid Rafique’s firm named Usman International whereas Fazal Dad too feigned ignorance about currency exchange companies.

Sources said a sum of Rs370 million was remitted into the accounts of Suleman Shehbaz and others via these firms.

Furthermore, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has collected record of ten foreign currency exchange companies which transferred funds into the accounts of Shehbaz, his sons Hamza and Suleman. Four of them belonged to the United Kingdom whereas the rest are Dubai-based.

It is noteworthy that Hamza Shehbaz had last month denied to have received kickbacks through some agents from 2005 to 2018 as revealed during the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation.

Speaking to media, he said he was accused of Rs 85 billion money laundering, but, added, it was mere an allegation. He said the NAB questioned him about Rs 180 million kickbacks, ‘however some of the ministers are accusing of me of indulging in corruption of Rs 85 billion.’