LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has opposed the pre-arrest bail granted to Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif in an inquiry of illegal assets against him and requested the Lahore High Court to dismiss the petition of the politician.

A two-judge bench had on June 3 allowed pre-arrest bail to Mr Shahbaz and restrained the NAB from arresting him till June 17. One day before he was granted the bail, a team of the bureau had raided his Model Town residence to arrest him, however, returned unsuccessful after several hours.

As the bench is set to resume its hearing on Wednesday (today), the NAB on Tuesday filed its written reply challenging the bail petition.

The bureau states that petitioner Mr Shahbaz is beneficiary of assets held in the name of his family members and benamidars, who have no sources to acquire such assets.

It alleges that the family members and benamidars of the petitioner received fake foreign remittances of Rs1.218 billion in their personal bank accounts. Apart from the said foreign remittances, Rs375.695 million was laundered by way foreign pay orders, which were deposited with personal bank account of co-suspect Suleman Shahbaz, the son of the petitioner.

The reply further alleges that the petitioner and his family members have managed disappearance of some of their co-suspects (associates/employees) namely Haroon Yousaf Aziz, Ali Ahmad Khan, Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi and Muhammad Usman.

It states some of the co-suspects namely Hamza Shahbaz, son of the petitioner, Nisar Ahmad, Qasim Qayum, Rashid Karamat, Masroor Anwar, Fazal Dad Abbasi, Shoaib Qamar, Muhammad Mushtaq (approver), Shahid Rafique (approver) and Aftab Mehmood (approver) were arrested only after hectic efforts.

The reply points out that none of the family members of the petitioner have come up to explain the source of remittances, relation with the remitters or even the recognition of the remitter.

Whereas, the so-called business investors/remitters have categorically denied to have sent the foreign remittances to the family members of the petitioner, which establishes that the petitioner and his co-suspects are involved in money laundering.

The NAB maintains that the petitioner (being beneficiary) and his co-suspect family members failed to justify the claimed sources of funds, which are stated to have been used for acquisition of assets. It says the petitioner himself failed to cooperate with the investigation as he has not provided details of sources of funds for acquiring four properties in London, details of business income and agricultural income and details of benami companies.

The NAB argues that the custody of Mr Shahbaz is warranted with the commission of offences of corruption and corrupt practices as envisaged under the provisions of National Accountability Ordinance 1999 and money laundering as delineated in Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010.

It alleges that the petitioner has been trying to frustrate and hamper the investigation proceedings and there is a likelihood of his fleeing from the country as his one son Suleman has already been declared proclaimed offender due to continuous absconding.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2020