The indictment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and others in a money laundering case was postponed by a Lahore court on Friday, while his bail was extended till February 28.
The hearing of a lawsuit against Shehbaz and others for their alleged participation in laundering over Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case was presided over by special court Judge Ijazul Ahsan Awan.
During the hearing, the PML-N leader’s lawyer claimed that the challan copies supplied by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were unreadable due to poor print quality.
“The bank employees did not provide the team with copies of 164 statements,” the attorney added.
The FIA was compelled to share new copies with Shehbaz’s legal team, and the hearing was postponed until February 28.
After the hearing, the PML-N president told reporters outside the court that the National Assembly session had been postponed due to the court’s announcement of his indictment last week.
The FIA had requested that the court change the indictment date, according to Shehbaz. “They wanted to move the court date because ‘I couldn’t miss the hearing due to the NA session,'” he explained.
“However, the government has changed the date of the assembly session,” Shehbaz said, adding that the government planned to charge him today, but “Allah is supreme.”
A special court in Lahore ruled last week to indict the PML-N president, his sons Hamza and Suleman, and others on February 18 (today) for their alleged participation in the Rs16 billion sugar fraud.
In November 2020, the FIA charged Shehbaz, Hamza, and Suleman Shehbaz with financial fraud, impersonation, and forgery under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, as well as 5(2) and 5(3) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of the Anti Money Laundering Act.
