LAHORE: A special court on Saturday summoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on Sept 7 for indictment in a Rs16 billion money laundering case registered against them by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Both Mr Sharif and Mr Shehbaz — who have already been granted pre-arrest bail in the case — skipped Saturday’s hearing as their counsel filed written requ­ests for a one-time exemption from personal appearance.

The premier’s counsel, Advocate Amjad Pervez, said his client was in Islamabad and could not travel to Lahore due to official engagements.

Hamza’s lawyer Rao Aurangzeb said the PML-N leader had severe backache and he had attached the medical report with the exemption request.

FIA prosecutor Farooq Bajwa did not object to the exemption applications and also submitted the death certificate of co-suspect Malik Maqsood Ahmad, a peon in the Ramzan Sugar Mills, who died while absconding in the United Arab Emirates.

The prosecutor told the court that the death certificate had been verified by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra). Presiding Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan then stopped the trial proceedings against Mr Ahmad.

Mr Bajwa also informed the court that the FIA had obtained record of 19 bank accounts of proclaimed offender Suleman Shehbaz, younger son of Shehbaz Sharif, while the records of seven others had yet to be secured.

Some records relating to immovable properties of Suleman had also been compiled by the agency, he said, adding that investigators were also gathering details of the assets owned by another proclaimed offender, Tahir Naqvi.

The judge accepted Mr Sharif and Mr Shehbaz’s applications and directed them to appear on Sept 7 for the indictment in the case.

The judge also directed the prosecutor to ensure the appearance of other suspects at the next hearing.

The FIA booked Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza and Suleman in November 2020 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471,34 and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 3/4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The trial court granted interim bail to Mr Sharif and Mr Shehbaz on June 21 last year, a day before their first appearance at the FIA. Meanwhile, Suleman Shehbaz is in the UK and has been declared an absconder.

Fourteen others have also been named in the FIR under sections 5(2) and 5(3) (criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Shehbaz and Hamza were previously set to be indicted on May 14, but it was deferred as the prime minister was not present in the country at the time.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2022