Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Monday, PM Shehbaz Sharif and former Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shehbaz went to a special central court to ask for their company accounts to be unfrozen.
The plea was made by the lawyer for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders earlier today. The special central court judge then told the lawyer to argue about an Rs16 billion money laundering case against the above-mentioned accused persons at 1:30 pm.
As the trial started, requests were made for PM Shehbaz not to have to show up in person. These requests said that he was on an official trip and could not come to court.
Concerning Hamza Shehbaz, his lawyer gave the court a report from the doctor saying that he was sick and could not come to court.
Read PM Shehbaz and Hamza file not guilty pleas in money laundering case
Along with the record, bank officials also had to show up in court.
In a previous case, the court sent a “show-cause” notice to the bank officials who were supposed to freeze Suleman Shehbaz Sharif’s bank accounts but didn’t do so.
The money laundering case involving Rs16 billion was put on hold on September 7 because PM Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz didn’t show up to the court because they were sick.
Case of FIA
The PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza Shehbaz Sharif and Suleman Shehbaz were charged by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in November 2020 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34, and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of the Anti Money Laundering Act.
It is important to note that the FIA filed the challan against PM Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz in December 2021 because they were thought to be involved in an Rs16 billion money laundering case.
FIA report showed that the Shehbaz family had 28 benami accounts. The investigation team found these accounts and used them to launder Rs16,3 billion from 2008 to 2018.
The agency looked at 17,000 credit transactions and found that the money was kept in secret accounts and given to Shehbaz in his personal capacity.
FIA had said that PM Shehbaz Sharif had taken money from the accounts of low-wage workers and sent it outside of Pakistan through hundi, which helped his family. Eleven low-paid people who worked for the Sharif family were found to have helped launder money.
