Rs16bn money-laundering case: Court confirms pre-arrest bail of Shehbaz, Hamza

LAHORE: The Special Court, Central, on Saturday confirmed the pre-arrest bail of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz in a Rs16 billion money-laundering case.

The court of Ijaz Hassan Awan confirmed the bail of the accused, directing them to submit surety bonds of Rs1 million each. The court also confirmed the bail of 14 co-accused in this case, directing them to submit surety bonds of Rs200,000 each. Shehbaz and Hamza, along with the co-accused, appeared before the court.

As the hearing commenced, the investigation officer of the case informed the court that neither he nor the previous investigation officer had submitted a fresh report, seeking the arrest of Shehbaz and Hamza. An FIA official submitted a report regarding non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Suleman Shehbaz, Malik Maqsood and Tahir Naqvi. The report said the warrants could not be executed as Suleman had gone abroad.

The IO said a letter had been written to Interpol for the verification of death of Malik Maqsood alias Maqsood Chaprasi. After the IO’s report, FIA Prosecutor Farooq Bajwa extended his arguments, informing that accused Gulzar had deposited Rs20 million in lieu of party funds that was direct evidence. He argued that the accused were political figures and when cases were registered against them, evidence was collected. It could not happen that the investigation report was submitted while the pre-arrest bail matter was pending, Bajwa said. The agency had collected as much evidence as it could and whatever evidence the FIA had collected was not mala fide, he said and confirmed that co-accused Masroor Anwar and Usman were not interrogated by the agency.

Responding to the FIA prosecutor’s arguments, the counsel of Shehbaz Sharif argued that his clients, Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz, had been interrogated in jail by the FIA and that no further evidence could be presented. He asked the FIA prosecutor whether bankers were called as witnesses during the investigation. The prosecutor replied in negative.

The counsel kept on arguing that the case had been ongoing for more than a year and now “we have come to know that all suspects were not made part of investigations”. He said it must be examined whether depositing a cheque constituted a crime. He claimed what the FIA was saying did not constitute a crime.

At this moment, the presiding judge questioned the FIA prosecutor how submitting cheques was illegal.

Shehbaz Sharif again took to the rostrum, saying that he was obliged to inform the court of the truth regarding his bail matter. Referring to National Accountability Bureau investigations against him, he said that after the approval of his bail from the Lahore High Court, the bureau moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan against him, despite the fact that the LHC had issued a detailed verdict in the case. He said the-then chief justice had asked for proof of corruption against him after which NAB officials "panicked and fled". He said the FIA case was identical to that being investigated by the NAB. The FIA officials visited him twice when he was in the NAB custody. “However, I refused to answer them without my attorney's input,” he said.

Shehbaz said his cases were decided on merit and he emerged clean. The court had admonished the Federal Investigation Agency for delaying submission of Challan. “I believe the FIA was preparing for an arrest, hence the Challan was delayed,” he said and reiterated that he was neither a director nor a stakeholder of the Ramzan Sugar Mills. He said his decisions harmed the business of his family’s sugar mills. “Why will I engage in corruption and money laundering and harm the family business?” he questioned and said he was legally authorised to give subsidy to sugar mills, but he didn’t do so to avoid burden on the national kitty. “My son had established factories for ethanol production, but I imposed a tax on them, which was removed by the PTI government,” he said, adding that he had nothing to do with the sugar business. The entire case against him was built on lies.

The court, after hearing arguments of both the parties, reserved its decision for a while and later confirmed the pre-arrest bails of Shehbaz and Hamza.