Shehbaz Sharif presents appreciation letter from Chinese Consul General before court

According to details, opposition leader in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz appeared before accountability court in money laundering case today.

During the proceedings, the PML-N president presented an appreciation letter of Chinese ambassador in the court

“I have a letter with me which was sent to me by the Chinese Consul General in Lahore. On one side, I am facing a barrage of accusations for two years, while on the other hand the Chinese Consul General is praising my work as a chief minister,” he said.

The PML-N President further stated that appreciating a ‘prisoner’ is no doubt an honour for him.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor of anti-corruption watchdog objected to Shahbaz Sharif reading the letter during court proceedings terming it ‘irrelevant’.

Timeline

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 11, 2019 arrested Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz from the premises of Lahore High Court (LHC) in connection with money laundering and holding assets beyond means.

On February 11, 2020, LHC rejected Hamza Shahbaz's bail plea in illegal assets and money laundering cases.

The anti-corruption watchdog filed a money laundering reference against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz, Salman Shabaz and other family members in the accountability court on August 17, 2020.

On August 20, 2020, an accountability court of Lahore approved the money laundering reference for hearing against Shahbaz Sharif and his family.

On September 28, 2020, Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif was taken into custody after Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected his bail plea in connection with money laundering case.

Shabaz Sharif was previously arrested on October 05, 2018, in connection with Ramzan Sugar Mills and Ashiana Housing Scheme cases.

On November 11, 2020, Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz Sharif were indicted in money laundering reference by accountability court.

About the reference

NAB has accused Sharif family of accumulating assets worth Rs. 7,328 million, in the last 30 years without justifying the means of income.

The accountability bureau has nominated 20 people in the reference including Shahbaz Sharif’s wife Nusrat, his sons Hamza and Suleman, and daughters Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali. Suleman Shahbaz and his sister Rabia Imran have been declared proclaimed offenders in the case already.

NAB has accused the former chief minister of committing corruption by involving his family members, front men, employees, close fellows and moneychangers. The anti-graft watchdog further alleged that the PML-N President created an organized system of money-laundering formulated fake sources of income to justify the assets acquired beyond known sources of income.

As per NAB, the corruption falls under the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 and money laundering as outlined in the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010.

The other nominated accused in the case are Nisar Ahmad, Ali Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi, Masroor Anwer, Muhammad Usman, Rashid Karamat, Fazal Dad Abbasi and Haroon Yousafzai.