Shun political talk in future, court tells Shehbaz

LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday adjourned hearing of money-laundering case against Shehbaz Sharif family till February 10.

The court also directed the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, to avoid political talk during the case proceedings in future.

Accountability Court Judge Syed Jawadul Hassan conducted the case proceedings, wherein the jail authorities produced Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on expiry of their judicial remand term.

At the start of the proceedings, after getting permission from the court, Shehbaz came to the rostrum and thanked the court for issuing orders about provision of medical facilities and making his personal physician a member of the board. He submitted that the jail authorities were delaying his medical tests. Shehbaz also presented a report of the Transparency International and submitted that the corruption was on decline during his government in Punjab.

However, the court asked Shehbaz Sharif to let it complete the proceedings and did not waste its time.The court directed Shehbaz Sharif to talk to the media as it was an appropriate forum for the purpose, adding that nothing should be discussed here other than the case.

The NAB prosecutor also raised objections to the political talk and added that only law and case should be discussed in the court.

The counsel for Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz crossed examined NAB witnesses, Muhammad Sharif and Bilal Zameer.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing till February 10 and directed the counsel to complete cross examination on the next date of hearing.

NAB had nominated 16 persons as accused in the case. However, only 10, out of 16, had been indicted yet. Besides Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Javeria Ali, Fazl Dad Abbasi, Rashid Karamat, Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Nisar Ahmad, Shoaib Qamar, and Qasim Qayyum had been indicted in the case.

Suleman Shehbaz, Nusrat Shehbaz, Rabia Imran, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi, Haroon Yousafzai and another could not be indicted due to their absence from the proceedings.

In a reference, comprising 55 volumes, the bureau had alleged that the Shehbaz Sharif family committed massive money laundering of Rs 7 billion. Yasir Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Shahid Rafique and Aftab were declared approvers in the reference.