PM Shehbaz, son Hamza acquitted in money laundering case

Lahore: A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court in the provincial capital acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in a money laundering case on Thursday.

In the reference that was filed in August 2020, the two leaders had pleaded for their release. The prime minister and his son requested an acquittal in the Rs7 billion money laundering case, and the court accepted their request.

The court also acquitted Nusrat Shehbaz (PM's wife), Javeria Ali (PM's daughter), Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed and Nisar Ahmed. 

The daughter of PM Shehbaz, Rabia Imran, who had been declared an absconder in the case, was given a permanent arrest order by the court.

According to the family, the NAB did not provide any evidence against them. The lack of proof was later confirmed by NAB investigators.

The court said it had no alternative but to release the accused because NAB had stated that it had nothing against them when it announced the verdict it had reserved earlier this month.

Shehbaz Sharif was the head of the opposition in the National Assembly when the anti-graft commission filed the reference in August 2020. After the Lahore High Court (LHC) denied him bail in the case on September 29, he was taken into custody by NAB.

The premier, his son Hamza, and other suspects were charged by an accountability court on November 11. In April 2021, Shehbaz received a bail release.