LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Tuesday issued notices to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and others on bail petitions filed by two approvers- Shahid Rafique and Aftab Mehmood- in money laundering case against Shehbaz Sharif family.
The bench comprising Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal heard the post-arrest bail petitions filed by the approvers.
The petitioners' counsel argued before the court that his clients had admitted that they facilitated Shehbaz Sharif family in whitening their black money.
They also got recorded their confessional statements before a judicial magistrate in this regard, he added.
He submitted that they had been lodged in jail on judicial remand and their custody was no longer required by the bureau in the case.
He pleaded with the court for granting post-arrest bail to them.
The bench after hearing initial arguments issued notices to NAB and other respondents and sought reply.
Shehbaz family members were facing money laundering charges in an investigation by the NAB.
Aftab Mehmood, in his statement, confessed that from 2008 to 2009, he made illegal telegraphic transfers (TTs) worth millions of dollars to Pakistan to benefit the Shehbaz Sharif Family.
Aftab said that Shahid Rafique used to collect cash against TTs from the Shehbaz family equivalent to amount sent by him to the accounts of the family.
It is pertinent to mention here that the other approver Shahid Rafique is a cousin of Aftab Mehmood.
Shahid Rafique also confessed in his statement that he was a franchise holder of Zarco Money Exchange and provided a channel to the family for whitening their black money whereas fake identities were used for the purpose.
On April 20, the bureau had arrested both the accused. Mushtaq alias Chini, another approver in the case, had confessed that he facilitated Sulman Shehbaz, son of Shehbaz Sharif, in whitening Rs 600 million through fake TTs and loan agreements.
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