Use bullet-proof vehicles for Shahbaz Sharif, son Hamza, court orders Punjab govt

LAHORE: An accountability court in Lahore on Thursday ordered the authorities to use a bullet-proof vehicle when bringing PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz to court for hearings related to his money-laundering case.

During the hearing of Shahbaz Sharif's petition, the administrative judge of the Accountability Court Jawad-ul-Hassan added that Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz will not be allowed to travel in an armoured vehicle from now onwards.

Home Secretary Punjab and SP security were also present during the hearing.

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On November 11, the accountability court in Lahore had indicted Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz, and others in a money laundering case. The suspects, however, pleaded not guilty.

Speaking to media outside the courtroom, Shahbaz had dismissed the NAB cases as “baseless” and termed them politically-motivated.

The former chief minister is accused of accumulating assets worth Rs7,328 million in connivance with his co-accused family members, benamidars, front persons and close associations and for developing an organised system of money laundering.

The anti-graft watchdog has nominated a total of 20 individuals in the reference – Shahbaz’s wife Nusrat, his sons Hamza and Suleman, and daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali.

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The anti-graft body has accused the PML-N president of committing corruption as envisaged under the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 and money laundering as outlined in the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010. It says that the accused “created fake sources of income” to “justify the assets” acquired beyond known sources of income.

On September 29, Shahbaz was arrested by NAB after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected his bail in the money laundering case.

The PML-N president was previously arrested on October 5, 2018, in another case pertaining to Ramzan Sugar Mills and Ashiana Housing Scheme. He was in the anti-graft watchdog’s custody when the inquiry into money laundering was authourised.