Court declares Suleman Shehbaz proclaimed offender

LAHORE: A special court (central-I) on Friday declared Suleman Shehbaz, younger son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and another suspect proclaimed offenders (POs) in a Rs16 billion money laundering case made by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Earlier, Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shehbaz appeared before the court while a one-time exemption from personal appearance was sought on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Presiding judge Ijaz Hassan Awan allowed the application, however, directed the prime minister to ensure his appearance on the next hearing.

The investigating officer told the court that the process to declare suspects Suleman and Tahir Naqvi POs had been completed as both failed to respond to the summons. The judge declared both suspects POs and directed the IO to submit details of the moveable and immoveable assets owned by the suspects for their freezing.
The judge further directed the FIA to submit a death certificate and other evidence about the death of another absconding suspect Malik Maqsood Ahmad, a peon in the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The judge would resume hearing on July 30.

On June 11, the court had confirmed the interim pre-arrest bail of Shehbaz and Hamza in the money laundering case. The FIA had booked Shehbaz and his sons Hamza and Suleman in November 2020 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471,34 and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 3/4 of Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The trial court had granted interim bail to Shehbaz and Hamza on June 21, 2021, a day before their first appearance at the FIA. The court is yet to indict the suspects as arguments of the defence against the challan are in progress.