Suleman Shehbaz declared proclaimed offender in money laundering case

Accountability court also issues non-bailable arrest warrants

LAHORE: An accountability court in Lahore on Monday declared Suleman Shehbaz, son of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case against the Sharif family.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor apprised the court that the bureau had issued at least six call-up notices to the suspect but he did not respond and had fled the country to escape the investigation.

He also told the court that the suspect’s property had already been seized on the court’s orders. After listening to the arguments, the court ordered to declare Suleman a proclaimed offender and issued non-bailable fresh arrest warrants.

Earlier in June, Shehbaz while in NAB's custody in Ashiana Housing scam recorded a statement that his son, Suleman was looking after his financial matters.

Subsequently, NAB had formed a committee to probe the matter.

The anti-corruption watchdog also detained other suspects in the case, including opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz and Mushtaq alias Chini, who has turned approver in the case and confessed that he had been laundering money for the former ruling family.