FIA files challan against Shahbaz for taking Rs5 million bribe

LAHORE: FIA Anti-Corruption Circle on Monday filed a challan against President Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif in a banking court for taking two cheques amounting 2.5 million each as bribe from a party worker in 2013.

As per the challan, Shehbaz Sharif received two cheques of Rs 2.5 million each from the PML-N worker of Gujrat Aurangzaib Butt in the name of the party fund.

After getting Rs5 million allegedly as a bribe, Shahbaz Sharif appointed Aurangzaib Butt as chairman of Gujrat Development Committee in 2015.  Attaullah Tarar as PSO to the Punjab CM had issued Butt’s notification as chairman.

The challan further said that the received amount was deposited in the account of Gulzar Ahmed (late), who was a peon at Ramzan Sugar Mills. The account was being operated by Shahbaz Sharif and even after the death of the peon, Shahbaz’s cash boy Masroor Anwar withdrew amount from this account for four times.

The challan said that this case is different from the cases of money laundering and assets beyond known income.

The statement of Ishaq Dar in Panama JIT report was a big evidence of Shahbaz’s involvement in money laundering, the challan added.

The FIA in its challan pleaded that Shahbaz Sharif as public office holder must be answerable for his actions and decisions and he must be awarded seven years’ imprisonment and his property confiscated.

Mega money laundering and assets beyond known income cases against Shahbaz Sharif and his family members are already being heard. NAB submitted that Shahbaz Sharif family inherited Ramzan Sugar Mills only whereas their assets were about Rs16.5 million before 1990. However, their assets reached Rs7 billion in 2018 and these assets increased rapidly after the Shahbaz family receiving telegraphic transfers (TTs) from abroad.