NAB decides to freeze Shehbaz’s assets

Will write to various departments including excise and taxation, revenue in this regard

LAHORE: The country’s top graft-buster has decided to freeze properties of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif in a case pertaining to assets beyond means.

According to sources, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has started process in this regard and is going to write to various departments including excise and taxation, revenue and district governments.

NAB on October 5, 2018 arrested Shehbaz, also leader of opposition in the National Assembly, in connection with Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme case. However, it also initiated another inquiry against Shehbaz for allegedly owning assets beyond his known sources of income.

According to sources in NAB, the former Punjab chief minister, during investigation into the Ashiana case, claimed that his son Salman Shehbaz looked after his financial matters.

NAB initiated a case of assets beyond income against Salman and constituted a committee to probe the matter. After progress in the investigation, NAB decided on October 27, 2018 also to initiate an inquiry against Shehbaz.

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Sources said NAB’s Financial Monitoring Unit observed a suspicious transaction. When it followed the trail, it found few evidences of money-laundering.  The investigator claimed that Shehbaz allegedly used his front-men for money-laundering. It said Shehbaz and his family members used fake accounts and telegraphic transfers (TTs) for the purpose and also signed fake-agreements as a modus operandi.

During its probe into this case, NAB arrested few suspects including Shehbaz’s son, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz. Some suspects revealed that they had been doing the job for Sharif family.  Later on, it arrested a Mushtaq Chini who later became an approver against Shehbaz

NAB also sent questionnaires to Shehbaz’s wives, daughters and other family members, seeking details about assets, businesses and properties. However, now NAB has decided to freeze his asset as Shehbaz and his family members could not satisfy its investigation team.