NAB summons Shehbaz Sharif for third time in money laundering case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif for the third time in a money laundering case tomorrow after he failed to appear the last time.

According to a notification by the corruption watchdog, the PML-N leader has been directed to appear before it with documents detailing the properties inherited by him.

Earlier, officials, who spoke to Geo News on the condition of anonymity had said that NAB had received the response submitted by the PML-N president. However, they claimed that the response was not satisfactory.

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The NAB officials stated that they have sent another notice to the former chief minister to appear before the anti-graft body on May 4 at 12pm in an investigation pertaining to a money laundering case.

They said that Shehbaz will have to appear himself as required under the law, and urged him to cooperate with the national institution.

This is the third time Shehbaz has been summoned to appear before the anti-graft body. He was earlier summoned by NAB to appear on April 22. However, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N spokesperson had said Shehbaz did not appear due to the coronavirus threat in the country.

The PML-N spokesperson had said the former Punjab chief minister is a cancer survivor and his life was in danger due to the pandemic which was why he could not appear before the Bureau.

Shehbaz was first directed to appear on April 17, which he skipped.

Read also: Shehbaz Sharif skips NAB hearing due to coronavirus

Last year in December, NAB had issued orders to freeze 23 properties belonging to the former Punjab chief minister and his sons Hamza and Suleman Shehbaz over the allegation that they acquired assets beyond their known sources of income and committed money laundering.

According to the accountability bureau, an investigation against Shehbaz, Hamza, Suleman and others for the offence of "corruption and corrupt practices" had revealed that Shehbaz had acquired properties in the name of his wives Nusrat Shahbaz Sharif and Tehmina Durrani.

Among the properties frozen are nine plots in Lahore's Johar Town, four in Judicial Colony, two houses in Model Town and as many houses in DHA.

Furthermore, the bureau has also frozen a cottage and a villa in Pir Sohawa and two more plots in Chiniot.