Court snubs FIA’s 'clean chit' to Suleman

LAHORE:

A special central court on Saturday summoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz and co-accused Muhammad Tahir Naqvi to face trial after disagreeing with the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) probe, wherein it had given a 'clean chit' to them in a case of alleged money laundering involving Rs16 billion.

Judge Bakht Fakhar Bahzad fixed March 4 for the trial with further directions to place arguments on the acquittal applications of Suleman and the other accused.

The judge reviewed the available data on record preliminary inquiry, the FIR and the reports submitted under Section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) as well as the brief facts along with the consolidated list of witnesses submitted by the special public prosecutor.

He noted that the investigation officer (IO) had recorded the statements of 113 witnesses under Section 161 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC).

Read more: Suleman appears before FIA in money laundering case

“I have straightway observed that all witnesses had supported the prosecution’s story and 113 witnesses had struck their guns towards accused Suleman Shehbaz Sharif and co-accused Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi facing trial as perpetrators of the offence in question,” the judge observed in his order.

“It is astonishing that when the investigation was conducted by the IO with regard to accused Suleman Shehbaz and Syed Muhammad Tariq Naqvi, he did not even bother to go through the incriminating material already collected by [him] in this case,” the order further read.

“I venture to conclude that prima-facie, sufficient incriminating material is available on record on the basis of which Suleman Shehbaz Sharif and Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi can be summoned as accused persons to face the trial,” it added.

“Therefore, without further going into niceties of the law and facts which would not be prudent, Suleman Shehbaz Sharif and Syed Muhammad Tahir Naqvi [should] be summoned as accused in this case to face the trial,” the judge ordered.

The judge inquired that after submitting the supplementary challan of Suleman and Tahir, why had the court still not summoned both of them in person to face the trial.

He added that the counsel for Suleman and Tahir was confronted to explain how the application filed for the acquittal was maintainable when both the men had not been summoned as accused persons.

At this stage, the judge added the counsel for the accused sought adjournment with the request for further reviewing the file.

Suleman was declared a proclaimed offender in the case in July last year.

Later, he filed his bail plea on December 23, 2022 and then joined the investigation.

The same court had already acquitted PM Shehbaz and his son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in the money laundering case.

Earlier, the court had granted pre-arrest bail to Suleman in the case.

Suleman, in his petition, implored the court that he and his family had been subjected to political victimisation by implicating them in forged cases.

He added that he was innocent and had decided to come back to the country to surrender to the process of law to vindicate himself.

He approached the Islamabad High Court to seek protective bail, which was granted to him on December 13, 2022.

He contended that notwithstanding the “ruthless” use of state apparatus at its disposal under the cover of investigation on the money laundering allegations for over a period of more than one year, the FIA could not collect an iota of evidence to suggest any nexus of his father and brother with the opening or operation of the alleged benami accounts.

He added that no evidence could be collected and brought on record on the allegations of money laundering or involvement of proceeds of any crime in the investigation report under Section 173 of the CrPC  prepared and filed by the investigation team, which was formed during the previous regime.

That team acted under the direct supervision, influence and pressure of then interior and accountability adviser Shahzad Akbar, he pointed out.

Suleman argued that the prosecution’s case could not stand the test of judicial scrutiny even at the tentative stage of bail and his father, brother and other co-accused were admitted to bail before arrest on merits by the predecessor of this court through its order on June 11, 2022.

He added that his father and brother were acquitted on October 12, 2022.