LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today appeared before Special Court in Lahore in connection with a Rs16 billion money laundering case filed by the FIA against him and his son Hamza Shahbaz.
PM Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz secured bail in the case in July after submitting bail bonds worth Rs1 million each.
During today’s hearing, Hamza did not appear before the court as he sought exemption on medical grounds.
In today’s hearing PM’s lawyer, Amjad Pervaiz said that the first information report (FIR) registered against his clients mentioned they were involved in money laundering worth Rs25 billion from 2008-2018 through fake companies.
“The allegations are general in nature. The FIR also mentions that the Sharif Group’s companies were used for money laundering. However, in those 10 years, Shehbaz was neither the director nor a shareholder of those companies.”
The FIR, Pervaiz said, was lodged after investigation and the initial paragraphs of the report do not mention Shehbaz.
The lawyer told the court that it is up to an individual whether they decide to keep movable or immovable property with them. At this, judge Aijaz Awan noted that they should declare it otherwise it becomes black money.
