Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has contested the NAB and FIA’s corruption and money laundering cases against him, claiming that he is innocent and that the cases are unfounded.
On Saturday, both PM Shehbaz and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz appeared in court in a money laundering case.
Prime Minister Shehbaz went to the rostrum at the start of the case and asked the judge to allow him to explain the truth about his bail. He claimed that the FIA case against him contained no new information because the NAB and FIA cases were identical. According to him, the authorities filed cases against him in the Ashiyana and Ramazan Sugar Mills.
He was asked if he owned any shares in sugar mills by the judge. ‘I’m neither a director, owner or even a shareholder in sugar mills,’ the PM replied. In the Ashiyana Housing Society case, I was falsely accused of abusing power.’
According to the premier, the Lahore High Court had already ruled in his favor. He claimed the NAB had filed a Supreme Court challenge to his bail. However, the anti-graft watchdog was embarrassed when the Supreme Court chastised it for a lack of evidence, and it simply ran away.
Shehbaz said after spending his days in the NAB dungeon when he went to jail, he verbally told the FIA about all the facts. He contended that the courts decided his cases on merit and he was honorably acquitted. He said the FIA was reprimanded for not presenting a challan against him in court. He said the FIA was actually delaying challan in order to find some way to arrest him.
Court orders to start proceeding to declare Salman as PO
A report on non-bailable arrest warrants for Salman Shehbaz and two other defendants was also presented to the court during the hearing.
Salman was not found at his home address, according to reports, because he had gone abroad and never returned. The warrants for the other two accused had not been served because Malik Maqsood had died and accused Tahir Naqvi was out of the country.
A letter had been written to the relevant department for confirmation of money laundering suspect Malik Maqsood, according to the court.
However, the judge ordered that proceedings be initiated to declare Salman Shehbaz and Tahir Naqvi proclaimed offenders.
Tarar accuses former rulers of quashing cases in return for diamond
Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesperson Attaullah Tarar slammed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a press conference following the court hearing. He believes that a medical examination of the PTI chief’s mental health should be arranged.
He claimed that former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had given the sugar mafia billions of rupees in subsidies.
He accused former rulers of accepting diamonds in exchange for the dismissal of criminal cases. He charged them with granting tax amnesty to their associates. He claimed that by transferring and posting government officials, the former rulers made millions.
