LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday directed the prosecution team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to furnish copies of the statements of its approvers to the suspects of a money laundering and illegal assets reference including Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shehbaz and other family members.

Earlier, the jail officials produced Shehbaz and Hamza before the court amid strict security arrangements while minor skirmishes between police and the PML-N workers were witnessed outside the judicial complex.

As Presiding Judge Jawadul Hassan resumed hearing, NAB Prosecutor Asim Mumtaz asked the court to hold indictment of the suspects.

Advocate Amjad Pervez, the defence counsel, opposed the indictment saying the prerequisites for framing the charges had not been fulfilled so far. He questioned the haste being shown by the NAB for the indictment. He argued that the indictment could not be held without the provision of statements of the approvers before the magistrate concerned under section 161 of CrPC. He also pointed out that all suspects of the reference were not present in court.

Mr Shehbaz alleged that the prosecution was acting on the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure his conviction.

However, Prosecutor Mumtaz rejected the claim of the opposition leader as being beyond the facts.

With the permission of the judge, Mr Shehbaz said, “I want to congratulate this court and the nation on the inauguration of Orange Line Metro Train in Lahore.”

He claimed his government saved $600 million (US dollar) of the public in the bidding process for the country’s first electric train project. He said the NAB made a case of 56 public companies against him when no evidence of corruption was found in the OLMT. Later, the NAB made the money laundering case when it failed to find any wrong in the public companies case, he added.

The judge told Shehbaz that an application of the NAB was pending with the court for the closure of an investigation against him relating to plots’ allotment.

The opposition leader said the NAB wanted to implicate him in the cases of the whole country. He claimed at least 20 hospitals for cancer patients, a project of electricity and several universities could be established with the money saved in the orange line train project. He said the train would benefit students, nurses and government employees.

Judge Hassan also expressed his intention to travel on the orange line metro train citing traffic concessions in the city. The judge adjourned further hearing till Nov 2 and directed the prosecution to provide the statements of the approvers to the suspects. The judge also sought an explanation from the inspector general of prisons for delayed appearance of the suspects in case.

The judge reserved judgment on an application by Nusrat, the wife of Shehbaz, seeking permanent exemption from personal appearance in the trial on health reasons.

Advocate Pervez told the court that Ms Nusrat was 66-year-old and had multiple health complications. He said Ms Nusrat went to London in 2019 when no case was filed against her. He said she was also mentally disturbed due to incarceration of her husband and the son.

The counsel also presented medical reports of Nusrat duly attested by the Pakistan High Commission.

Prosecutor Mumtaz opposed the application of Ms Nusrat saying her alleged medical condition was not disclosed until the court started the process to declare absconder.

In a brief conversation with the reporters outside the court, Mr Shehbaz accused the government of delaying the project of the orange line metro train only to start Peshawar BRT first. He said the people wanted to get rid of the government as their lives had become hell due to inflation.

He said the sea of the people would wipe out the rulers. He also expressed his grief over the blast in a Peshawar’s madrasah and fire incident at Hafeez Centre in Lahore.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2020