Solid evidence found to prove Shehbaz, Hamza involvement in affairs of Sharif Group: FIA

LAHORE   -   A banking court in Lahore on Saturday extended the pre-arrest bails of Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz till December 11 in a money laundering case.

At the outset of the hearing, Shehbaz told the court that he has “nothing to do with” Ramzan Sugar Mills as it was owned by his father. “My children’s sugar mills suffered billions of losses because of me,” he added. The PML-N leader told the court that NAB was also hearing the same case.

Responding to his comments, the judge told Shehbaz that the bench has noted down his points. 

Meanwhile, the banking court judge ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present the incomplete challan against Shehbaz and others nominated in the money laundering case at the next hearing.

FIA will not be given any more time for submitting the challan against the suspects in the money laundering case, the judge remarked. Later, the judge adjourned the hearing till December 11. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said Saturday that investigation is being carried out against mega money laundering by Sharif Group.

He said that Sugar Investigation Team headed by CO Anti-Corruption and Director Lahore is investigating the said case with utmost diligence and hard work. According to the spokesman, the sugar team reviewed more than 17,000 credit transactions (Rs16 billion) which had been carried out from 2008 to 2018 through secret accounts of peons and clerks of Sharif Group (Sharif family). In which, he added, solid documentary evidence has been found regarding the direct involvement of the then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in the affairs of Sharif Group. 

He mentioned that since both Mian Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz Sharif are fully answerable to the credit transaction of Rs16 billion due to having public office. The spokesman said that the statement made by Ataullah Tarar, Legal Adviser of Mian Brothers that the FIA could not get any evidence of corruption was based on lies and was given to mislead the public regarding the important case.