FIA serves notices on Hamza, Ali Tareen
PHOTO: FILE
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday issued notices to PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz and PTI estranged leader Jahangir Tareen’s son Ali Tareen telling them to submit details of their assets to the authority within 30 days.
The agency has warned them that failure to comply with the directive would result in the freezing of their properties and bank accounts.
Hamza, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s son, was served the notice under Section 9 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.
He has been told to provide the money trail for his vehicles, his bank account details, besides shares, jewellery, cash and prize bonds.
He will have to supplement the documents with evidence that these assets "are not proceeds of crime".
According to the notice, the properties include a 10 kanal house in Judicial Colony, Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore built between 2013 and 2014, a 71 kanal plot in Johar Town and 250 kanal of agricultural land in Chiniot.
Details have also been sought about investments and family shares in feed mills, Madina Construction Company, Madani Trading, Sharif Poultry Farms, Sharif Dairy Farms and Malik Products, Ramzan Sugar Mills and Al-Arabiya Sugar Mills.
Last month, Hamza appeared before a team of the FIA to respond to allegations against him in Rs25 billion money laundering case.
In his replies, he showed his ignorance as to who deposited billions of rupees in his accounts, sources said.
The sources added that Hamza told the investigation team that he had been the chief executive of the Ramzan Sugar Mills but it was not his responsibility to know who deposited Rs25 billion in the accounts of peons and clerks.
Hamza told the investigators that he was a member of the National Assembly from 2008 to 2018 and due to his involvement in politics, he did not know who kept depositing money in his personal bank accounts.
Ali Tareen and others have also been issued notices in connection with the investigation into the sugar scandal.
The FIA has sought details of his bank accounts, investment records and details of the money taken from banks or family members for business.
Last month, the Lahore High Court rejected a petition filed by estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen to stop the audit of his sugar mills.
Separately, Tareen, his son and other co-accused in the money laundering case withdrew their interim plea for pre-arrest bails after the FIA deputy director told the LHC that there was no need to arrest the former PTI general secretary at the moment.