LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked PML-N President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif to bring with him complete detail of his foreign assets and other businesses on his appearance before the NAB’s combined investigation team on April 17 in money laundering case.

In a fresh questionnaire sent to Shahbaz, NAB Lahore said multiple call-up notices, along with questionnaires, were issued to him but his replies were found “unsatisfactory, incomplete and evasive”.

“In this regard, you are once again required to provide details (value, nature, name and location) of assets received as a result of family settlement. A complete detail of your foreign assets along with year of acquisition/disposal and source of personal/bank loans along with details of loan repayment and current outstanding loan should be provided,” it reads.

The bureau further sought details of the land gifted to his wife Nusrat Shahbaz in Kasur and the gifts he received from other members of his family or he gave to any of them. He was also asked to submit details of agriculture income

he received during 2008 and 2019 and tax paid if any. He was also asked to explain his “nature of relationship” with two other suspects – Ali Ahmed Khan and Nisar Ahmed Gill --in the money laundering case.

Besides, Mr Shahbaz has been asked to provide complete details of his business income as claimed before the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), along with investment and its volume and expenditures incurred during the period when his Model Town residence was declared the chief minister house/camp office.

The NAB inquired about the PML-N leader’s “sources of huge cash deposits in the personal bank accounts of his family members and “unexplained cash deposits” in the businesses held in their name. Details of rental agreement of house number 41-S, DHA, Lahore, and period of tenancy, along with the amount paid in rent was also sought.

The former chief minister was asked to explain that how during 1998-2018 the assets acquired and possessed by him and his family members “increased from Rs23.7 million to Rs3.5bn” as the growth had been found “disproportionate” to the declared sources of income.

The NAB had already served a call-up notice on Mr Shahbaz, asking him to appear before a joint investigation team on April 17 at its provincial headquarters at Thokar Niaz Beg to record his statement.

According to the PML-N, the “NAB-Niazi” alliance (alleged nexus between the government and the bureau) was once again targeting the opposition leader and was trying to implicate him in a fabricated case.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2020