F.P. Report
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court denied bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hamza Shehbaz in relation to money laundering case and having assets beyond means.
In the hearing today, the court remarked that Shehbaz Sharif’s son and PML-N leader has failed to give satisfactory answer regarding his source of income in the accounts.
During the hearing, the court remarked that if it accepts the applicant’s point of view, then the money laundering law will be rendered useless.
During the arguments, the court said that Hamza Shehbaz’s father, former chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif was a three-times public office holder, to which Hamza replied that he himself was not once at any such position.
Hamza Shehbaz’s lawyer said that every detail was presented in income tax returns. To which the NAB prosecutor said that the family had assets worth Rs680 million in 2009, but in 2018 the amount reached Rs417 million.
The court inquired if the money came directly into accounts, upon which the prosecutor responded in affirmative.
On February 6, the LHC had granted Hamza Shehbaz bail in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
Shehbaz had been indicted in the sugar mills case, along with his father Shehbaz Sharif, on April 9 last year.
In his petition for bail, filed through counsel Amjad Pervaiz, the PML-N leader had alleged that the accountability bureau had initiated an inquiry into Ramzan Sugar Mills with malicious intentions.
On April 17, 2019, Hamza was granted pre-arrest bail by the LHC, which also restrained NAB from arresting him in cases pertaining to ownership of assets beyond means until further notice. Hamza was also directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs10 million at the time.
The PML-N leader was arrested by NAB from inside the LHC on June 11 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and money laundering cases after the two-member LHC bench rejected Hamza’s bail.
