Lahore: An accountability court in Lahore has summoned PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s wife Nusrat Shehbaz through a representative for indictment proceedings in a money-laundering case.
The court was hearing a reference in the money-laundering case filed by the National Accountability Bureau against Shehbaz Sharif’s family.
On Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz and other accused appeared before the court, while Nusrat joined the trial through a representative.
The court provided copies of the reference to Nusrat’s representative and summoned her through the representative for initiating indictment proceedings against her.
The other accused in the case including Shehbaz and Hamza have already been indicted. Nusrat have not been indicted yet as she was not not appearing before the court. For this, the court had declared her proclaimed offender.
Shehbaz Sharif approached the Lahore High Court against the verdict. He told the high court that Nusrat is out of country for her medical treatment. She will join the proceedings once her treatment is over and requested the court to allow her to join the proceedings through a representative. The request was granted. Ramzan Sugar Mills, Ashiana Housing Scheme references
Justice Sajid Ali heard the Ramzan Sugar Mills and Ashiana Iqbal references.
During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor requested the court to set the references of Shehbaz Sharif family on different dates because witnesses’ statements have to be recorded in all cases. Setting a date on the same day may affect the hearing, the prosecutor said.
The court remarked that it will look into it at the next hearing and adjourned the case till next month (October 1).
NAB has accused him of laundering money and owning more assets than his known sources of income
The evidence collected revealed that Shehbaz and his sons Hamza Shehbaz and Suleman Shahbaz and wife Nusrat Shehbaz had net assets of Rs14.8 million in 1998, according to the accountability bureau.
Shehbaz in “connivance with his other family members/benamidars accumulated assets to the tune of Rs7,328 million till 2018”.
The amount is “disproportionate to known sources of income and for which neither the accused nor his other family members/benamidars could reasonably account for.”
Shehbaz’s lawyer had, however, argued that a reference has been filed and investigation completed, adding that all questionnaires mentioned by NAB have been answered too.
