LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday submitted in an accountability court a report regarding the investigation of suspect Shoaib Qamar in a case pertaining to accumulating assets beyond means against the Sharif family.
According to the report, an amount of Rs460 million was transferred to the companies owned by National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif’s sons, Hamza Shehbaz and Suleman Shehbaz.
Earlier, an investigation officer told the court that his team had obtained additional evidence from the chief minister’s office. He said that benami companies were made in the name of two employees of the CM office – Ali Ahmed Khan and Mehr Nisar Ahmed.
The investigation officer said the Bureau had received the details of a property in Chiniot and asked for information from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and other concerned departments.
On June 11, the accountability watchdog had arrested Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz in the same cases and shifted him to Bureau’s headquarter at Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore after the Lahore High Court (LHC) turned down his applications for extension in his interim bail.
In a hearing on June 11, defense counsel argued that according to the NAB Ordinance, the bureau could not issue arrest warrants unless an inquiry into the case was completed. To which, Justice Naqvi remarked that the judgment would be done according to the constitution, and justice would be ensured.
The prosecutor had submitted complete details of assets owned by the family members of Shehbaz Sharif in the court.
“Their assets were beyond their known sources of income,” he had said at the time, adding: “Billions of rupees were added to their assets, whereas Hamza couldn’t provide details of the sources of his income.”
The bench was further told by the NAB that in 2018, his assets were found to be worth Rs410 million, whereas he could not account for Rs380 million.”
“The money was, subsequently, laundered to Dubai and England, and 40 individuals were involved in the money laundering net.”
