LHC sets aside orders of declaring Nusrat Shehbaz absconder

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday set aside orders of declaring Nusrat Shehbaz, wife of Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, as an absconder by an accountability court in assets beyond means and money laundering case.

The court directed Nusrat Shehbaz to appoint a pleader to represent her in the trial court while asking her to join the proceedings after recovery from her illness.

The division bench comprising Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Asjad Javaid Ghural passed the orders while allowing a petition, filed by Nusrat Shehbaz against the accountability court orders of declaring her an absconder.

Prosecutor Syed Faisal Bukhari argued on behalf of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that the Bureau did not have any objection on allowing the plea if three conditions were accepted.

He submitted that Nusrat Shehbaz's representative should appear before the trial court on every hearing and apprise her about the development in the case. The accused would be bound to attend the proceedings after recovery from illness, he added.

At this, Nusrat's counsel submitted that he did not have any objection on the conditions. Subsequently, the bench set aside the orders of declaring Nusrat Shehbaz as an absconder.

An accountability court had declared Nusrat Shehbaz as an absconder on December 8, 2020 over her persistent non-appearance in the assets beyond means and money laundering case.

Nusrat Shehbaz submitted in the LHC that she was residing in a foreign country for medical treatment and she had approached the accountability court for permanent exemption from personal appearance. But the court turned down her application and issued arrest warrants for her while declaring her an absconder.

She stated that she was suffering from different diseases and currently receiving medical treatment abroad. She had pleaded with the court to set aside the trial court verdict.