FIA opposes indictment of PM, Hamza

Asks court to first start money laundering case proceedings against 3 other suspects

LAHORE:

The Special Court Central judge on Saturday accepted the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) plea to first initiate proceedings to declare three co-suspects — Suleman Shehbaz, Maqsood and Tahir Naqvi — as proclaimed offenders in the Rs16 billion money laundering case against PM Shehbaz Sharif and his son Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz.

The court also issued arrest warrants for the three co-suspects in the case.

As the proceedings commenced, FIA prosecutor Farooq Bajwa opposed the framing of charges against PM Shehbaz and CM Hamza.

He argued that the FIA did not want to leave any loophole to benefit the accused in the case. The prosecutor then submitted an application arguing that it would be more appropriate to first initiate proceedings against the three suspects who had not appeared before the court for a long time.

The FIA prosecutor further argued that the agency did not want to leave any lacuna in this case which could benefit the accused persons at any stage. Meanwhile, the PM Shehbaz Sharif also filed an acquittal application in the court.

Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan observed that Suleman Shehbaz, Maqsood and Tahir Naqvi had already been declared proclaimed offenders by the magisterial court.

The accused’s counsel, Advocate Amjad Pervez, argued that the court had not declared them proclaimed offenders. “Only those suspects have been declared proclaimed offenders were mentioned in a challan submitted earlier to the court.,” he added. The judge then asked why the prosecution had remained silent on this matter for the past four months.

The prosecutor replied that since he is representing the prosecution, hence the court had been requested to initiate proceedings against the three suspects.

The accused’s counsel Amjad Pervez, drawing the court’s attention to a certain case’s facts and the weakness on the part of the FIA, argued that there was a delay in the registration of the FIR registered against his clients.

Read More: Court unable to indict Shehbaz, Hamza in money laundering case

He informed the court that a transaction of Rs4 billion, which had been established with the sugar trade, had not been made part of the case record.

He further added that accused Mushtaq’s statement was not made part of the record.

The counsel said Rs4billion had been mentioned in the FIR, but interestingly enough the ledgers of this amount were not made part of the case record.

No details had been collected of those accounts’ transactions which the FIA had mentioned in the FIR. As the counsel was shedding light on certain facts, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the rostrum.

“I want to say something if the court allows me,” the PM asked the judge.

With the court’s permission, the premier told the court that all-out efforts were made by the PTI government to establish corruption and money laundering cases against him.

The court issued arrest warrants of the three suspects, initiating proceedings against them to declare them proclaimed offenders.

The proceedings of the case were adjourned till May 28.