Banking court extends interim bails of Shehbaz, Hamza in money laundering case till Oct 9

Shahbaz Sharif along with his son Hamza Shehbaz, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, appeared before the banking court.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials shared evidence with the court against the duo in five cases.

FIA senior officer Dr Rizwan told the court that asugar commission that was formed in 2020 found that the sugar mill (Ramzan Sugar Mills) was involved in fraud. He further informed that bank accounts were opened by using the names of poor people.

According to the official, the FIA had traced 57 such bank accounts on the names of 20 employees of the sugar mill and that 55,498 suspicious transactions were being probed.

When the judge asked that how much time would they take to complete their investigations, the FIA officer said that currently, they were not in the position to submit the challan in the case, as the suspects were not cooperating with them. He further said, “It is not an ordinary case.”

“The FIA’s senior official was telling a lie in the court,” Shahbaz Sharif apprised the court when the judge called him to the rostrum.

He said,” Neither I am the director of the sugar mill nor I receive the salary from it.”

Shehbaz said FIA officials misbehaved with him when he was summoned.

Meanwhile, FIA’s lawyer told the court the fake bank accounts were opened in collaboration with two officers of a private bank. He said that the banks were also not cooperating with them. The lawyer pleaded with the court to order the banks and the suspects to cooperate with FIA in its investigations in the money laundering case.

Shahbaz Sharif pleaded with the court to allow him to speak but the judge rejected his request, saying they had listened to him.

Later, the judge rejected the lawyer’s allegations.