FIA offloads Nawaz’ two nephews from Medina-bound flight

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency on Thursday offloaded two nephews of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and party President Shahbaz Sharif as they were trying to leave the country in disguise of pilgrims. They are accused of money laundering in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

The News has learnt that Yousaf Abbas Sharif and Abdul Aziz Abbas Sharif, sons of the late Abbas Sharif and first cousins of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, were trying to board a Medina-bound flight PK747 from the Lahore airport. Both were trying to leave the country in guise of pilgrims. However, FIA officials intercepted them as during the immigration process, it revealed that the names of both were put on stop list on the request of the National Accountability Bureau in a money laundering investigation in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

Interestingly, in a bid to keep their travel secret, both the brothers obtained their visas from Saudi Mission Karachi while both are resident of Lahore. Earlier, the NAB had questioned Yousaf Abbas and Abdul Aziz regarding investments and loans payable by the Shamim Sugar Mills.

NAB sources claim that Yousaf Abbas is for the Nawaz family as Suleman Shahbaz is for the Shahbaz family. The sources said the shareholders of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills were unable to give money trail for purchasing the mills. Most of the money for the purchase is coming through TTs but the owners are unable to tell who is sending the money.

A day before, the NAB Lahore had grilled Maryam Nawaz in the same case and had asked her to appear before the NAB again on August 8 after she failed to establish her financial link with four foreign business partners. Maryam failed to establish her business links with foreign nationals including Saeed Saif Bin Jabar Al-Suweidi (UAE National), Sheikh Zakauddin (UK National), Hani Ahmad Jamjoom (Saudi National) and Naseer Abdullah Lootah (UAE National).

As per details of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills money laundering investigations, the NAB in January 2018 received a Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) report describing huge suspicious transactions in billions of rupees. It is pertinent to mention here that in January 2018, the PML-N was ruling the country. After receiving the FMU report, the NAB started its inquiry in October 2018 and found that Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Shahbaz Sharif and his family, Abbas Sharif and his family are shareholders in the company along with some foreigners from the UAE and the UK. During the probe, it revealed that huge investments were made in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills from 2001 to 2017 in billions of rupees in the name of issuing shares in the name of foreigners. Interestingly, later on, the same shares of the company were transferred back to Maryam, Hussain and Nawaz Sharif on various occasions without paying any money to the foreign business partners.

The NAB sources claim that investigators have come to conclusion that the names of foreigners were used as proxies to make huge investments in the company for the reason that the Sharif family did not have white money for investment. They allege that the Chaudhry Sugar Mills investigation is a classic case of money laundering.

The NAB sources while talking to this scribe said that previously, Yousuf Abbas and now Maryam Nawaz joined the inquiry but failed to answer about the foreigners. They both failed to give source of money and why at the later stage, they transferred shares to the Sharif family without any consideration.