Hamza's 'frontman' turns approver in money laundering case

LAHORE: In a major development, Muhammad Mushtaq alias Chini, alleged front man of Punjab Assembly’s opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz and his brother Salman Shehbaz, became an approver in a money laundering case, reported ARY News on Saturday.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal approved the accused person’s plea to turn approver and testify against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and his sons.

Subsequently, NAB officials presented Mushtaq before Judicial Magistrate Ahmed Waqas to have his statement recorded as approver.

In his statement, he revealed that he laundered millions of rupees at the behest of Shehbaz Sharif. He said he played a key role in whitening the Sharif family’s black money.

In April this year, the FIA arrested Mushtaq alias Chini from Lahore airport and handed him over to the National Accountability Bureau. His name was placed on the Exit Control List at the request of NAB.

The accused had gone into hiding after the NAB made arrests in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

According to the corruption watchdog, the suspect, Muhammad Mushtaq, through illegal transactions had deposited Rs500 million into his own account which he then transferred to the account of Salman Shahbaz.