Court starts process to declare Suleman absconder

Asks NAB to treat Shehbaz Sharif with dignity; asks Sharif family members to appear in court

LAHORE:

An accountability court has started the proceedings to declare Suleman Shehbaz – one of the sons of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif – an absconder in view of his failure to appear before the court. It has, however, desisted from starting similar proceedings against Shehbaz’s wife and daughters.

In its four-page written order issued on Tuesday, Administrative Judge Jawad Al-Hassan noted that Suleman – who has been in London – was deliberately not receiving the court's orders.

He said Suleman – according to the foreign ministry – had failed to obtain a non-bailable arrest warrant, announcing to start the proceedings to declare him an absconder.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on August 17 filed a reference in the court against Shehbaz Sharif and a number of other accused including his family members –Hamza Shehbaz and Suleman Shehbaz [sons]; Nusrat Shehbaz [wife] and Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali [daughters].

The reference mainly accused Shehbaz of being beneficiary of assets held in the name of his family members and 'benamidars' who had no sources to acquire such assets. NAB alleged that the family and benamidars of Shehbaz received foreign remittances of billions or rupees in their bank accounts.

In addition to these remittances, the graft buster claimed, billions of rupees were also laundered by way of foreign pay orders which were deposited in personal bank accounts of Hamza and Suleman. It said the family failed to justify the sources of funds used for acquisition of the assets.

“The suspects committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices as envisaged under the provisions of National Accountability Ordinance 1999 and money laundering as delineated in Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010,” it said.

The reference asked the court to try the suspects and punish them under the law, while claiming that the family committed money laundering amounting to Rs8 billion. Yasir Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Shahid Rafique and Aftab have become NAB’s approvers in the reference.

In the written order, the court also ordered NAB to treat Shehbaz Sharif with dignity particularly when serving him food. “He [Shehbaz] is the leader of opposition in the National Assembly and must be accorded respect. No authority is allowed to damage the self-esteem of any prisoner."

NAB arrested Shehbaz Sharif after the Lahore High Court (LHC) on September 28 dismissed his request for a pre-arrest bail in the case.

The court observed that Shehbaz had assured it that his wife Nusrat Shehbaz and daughter Rabia Imran would appear in court soon for a trial and therefore the proceedings to declare them absconders have therefore been halted for the time. It ordered the accused – who were absent – to join trial soon.