LAHORE: The charge of corruption has not been proved against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza, says an accountability court in its detailed verdict on the acquittal applications of both PML-N leaders in a NAB reference alleging money laundering and illegal assets.
About the money laundering allegations against the father and son, Judge Qamaruz Zaman observed, “As per established law, without the commission of a predicate offence there can be no offence of money laundering.”
Through a short order, the judge had on July 20 allowed the acquittal applications of PM Shehbaz and Hamza.
The NAB had alleged that family members and benamidars of Shehbaz had received fake foreign remittances worth billions of rupees in their personal bank accounts. In addition, the bureau said, billions were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in personal bank accounts of the PM’s sons Hamza and Suleman.
Giving reasons for the acquittal of the accused persons, the judge said all the family members of the principal accused (Shehbaz), including his wife, sons and daughter, are major independents and running their own businesses.
He noted that the evidence collected by the prosecution on this score not only indirectly, but also directly, supports the version of the accused persons.
The judge said the co-accused, including wife Nusrat Shehbaz, sons Hamza and Suleman and daughter Javeria are not the dependents of the principal accused (PM Shehbaz) by any stretch of imagination, keeping in view the prosecution evidence.
Regarding the allegations against the family members of being benamidars of PM Shehbaz, the judge observed that the principal accused remained in the NAB custody for a considerable period, but the investigators failed to recover any titled documentsof the assets owned by the co-accused from his possession.
He said the prosecution did not bring any evidence on the pages of the reference to show that the consideration amount of such properties was paid by the principal accused.
“Moreover, the properties of co-accused were not found in possession of the accused/petitioner Shehbaz Sharif. That in the same way the evidence collected by the prosecution about the intention, as well as motive, of benami transactions is flimsy one,” the judge ruled.
The judge observed that the prosecution was duty bound to collect irrefutable evidence to prove the allegation of corruption and corrupt practices against the principal accused.
The judge noted that a supplementary report filed by the prosecution shows that the resources or properties found in possession of PM Shehbaz are not disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The judge said the record of the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) established that the principal accused had never remained sponsor, member, shareholder, director or officer of any of the companies enlisted by the prosecution.
The NAB had arrested PM Shehbaz on Sept 28, 2020 after the Lahore High Court (LHC) refused to further extend his pre-arrest bail. He remained in the NAB’s custody for 23 days till the trial court sent him on judicial remand on Oct 20, 2020.
A LHC full bench had released Shehbaz on bail in April 2021 and observed that the former chief minister of Punjab faced no allegation of receiving kickbacks or ill-gotten money.
Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2023
