Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday testified in a special court hearing a Rs 16 billion money laundering case against him that he refused to receive any salary or benefits when he was the chief minister of Punjab, calling himself “Majnu,
His son, the current Chief Minister of Punjab, Hamza Shahbaz, was also in court during the hearing of the case filed against him and his family by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Presiding Judge of the Special Court (Central-I), Ejaz Hassan Awan, Hadeeq Extended Guidelines His interim bail in the case is till May 28 (today) during the hearing last week.
When the trial resumed, the judge told FIA prosecutor Farooq Bajwa that the agency’s report regarding the arrest of Shahbaz’s son Suleiman Shahbaz and other suspects contained conflicting statements.
“On the one hand, reports say that the D-41, Model Town, is not known. On the other hand, it also says that the suspect Suleiman Shahbaz is abroad,” he said. Bajwa replied that the address was there but the suspect was not found at that place.
“The fault lies with the person who wrote” [the report]He wanted to say that the suspect was not present at that place.
The judge said the report also failed to mention other routine details on Suleman and another suspect, Tahir Naqvi.
The FIA prosecutor said the agency would reissue the arrest warrant and submit a new report to the court.
Judge Awan then noted that another suspect, Ghulam Shabbar, had passed away, to which Bajwa replied that the death certificate of the suspect was one year old and the investigation had begun before his death.
He said he would give a detailed reply.
The judge asked the investigating officer to inform the court about the extent of the inquiry conducted in respect of Shabbar. “Obviously, it invoice Will have to submit again.”
Meanwhile, Shahbaz and Hamza’s counsel Mohammad Amjad Parvez argued that the facts invoice were wrong. “This case was malicious as it was politically motivated. The law states that if someone has 10 cases against him, he cannot be arrested for each separately.
Prime Minister Shahbaz then took the stage and said the case against him was “false”.
“I have not taken anything from the government in 12.5 years,” he said, adding that he used to take fuel in the government car from his pocket.
“God has made me the Prime Minister of this country. I am MajnuI didn’t take my legal rights, I didn’t take salary and benefits.”
He recalled that the secretary had sent him a summary for sugar exports during his tenure as Punjab chief minister, adding that he had set an export limit and rejected the summary.
“My decision caused a loss of Rs 2 billion to my family. I am telling you the reality. Even when my son’s ethanol production plant was being set up, I decided to levy duty on ethanol. Due to that decision, my family lost Rs 80 crore annually. The previous government withdrew the notification saying it was an injustice to the sugar mills.
The judge then allowed Shahbaz and Hamza to leave saying the trial could proceed without their presence.
His lawyer Parvez argued that the prime minister had nothing to do with the accounts mentioned in the FIA report.
“It is the job of the prosecution to prove it” [his connection] To anonymous Accounts. The FIA has not been able to make a single statement in 10 years that Shahbaz has any connection with these accounts.
The defense did not yet know whether the statements of prosecution witnesses in the case were true, saying that according to those statements, accounts were opened for Suleiman.
“The witnesses do not say that these accounts belonged to Shahbaz. Mushtaq Cheeni The account was also opened but no FIR was registered against him.
Charges against Hamza, Shahbaz
In December 2021, the FIA had produced challans against Shahbaz and Hamza in a special court for their alleged involvement in the laundering of an amount of Rs 16 billion in a sugar scam case.
According to the FIA report submitted to the court, “The investigation team has unearthed 28 benami accounts of the Shahbaz family, through which money laundering of Rs 16.3 billion was done during 2008-18. FIA traces money trail of 17,000 credit transactions. investigated.”
The report said the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and given personally to Shahbaz.
This amount (Rs 16 billion) has nothing to do with the sugar business (Shahbaz family). The FIA had alleged that funds received by Shahbaz from the accounts of low-paid employees were transferred outside Pakistan through hundi/hawala networks, ultimately for the beneficial use of his family members.
Eleven low-paid employees of the Sharif Group, who had money laundering proceedings on the part of the main accused, were found guilty of facilitating money laundering. Three other co-accused of the Sharif group also actively facilitated money laundering. of,” the agency had said.
More to follow.