Suleman Shehbaz cleared in money laundering case

LAHORE: Suleman Shehbaz was cleared by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Rs16 billion money laundering case on Saturday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son was facing a corruption case in which his father and brother Hamza Shehbaz had already been acquitted.

FIA had registered the case in November 2020 against Shehbaz Sharif and his sons 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.

According to the FIA report, the investigation team “detected 28 Benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3 billion was committed from 2008-18. The FIA examined a money trail of 17,000 credit transactions.”

The report added that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

Suleman was in self-exile in London for four years before returning home to Pakistan last month.

A special court granted him interim bail on December 23. Even before his return to the country, the Islamabad High Court had stopped FIA from arresting Suleman.

On Saturday, the FIA submitted a supplementary challan before the special court in which it said it did not find Suleman and co-accused Tahir Naqvi guilty.

The court was hearing Suleman’s pre-arrest bail plea. However, advocate Amjad Parvez informed the court that Suleman and Naqvi wanted to withdraw their bail pleas submitted earlier.

Suleman’s acquittal did not go well with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf with its senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry saying his party will challenge this decision and acquittal of other PMLN leaders in the Supreme Court.

Fawad Chaudhry said the incumbent government’s “only purpose” is to end cases against its members.

“Since this government has come into power, they have only one purpose,” Fawad said while speaking to a private channel in Pakistan, adding that Suleman’s clearance was also linked to it.

He said PTI will challenge PMLN Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PM and others’ acquittal — in various cases — in the Supreme Court with a plea to be filed in SC on Monday.