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LAHORE – Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar on Monday accused PML-N President Mian Shehbaz Sharif of adopting delaying tactics to escape accountability.
“During his appearance in an accountability court yesterday, Shehbaz Sharif was seen making excuses before the court, pleaded for next hearing and sought leave to attend the National Assembly session. The assembly session has been going on for the last four days, but I could not see him in the assembly [in these days]”, he said while addressing a press conference here.
Shahzad Akbar alleged that Shehbaz Sharif was trying to unduly linger on the case on one pretext or the other; and at the same time, he was also trying to build a false narrative that he was a neat and clean person. By doing so, he is just trying to evade from the real cases of money laundering, he added. PM’s accountability advisor termed this attitude of Shehbaz Sharif a classic example of what he called Shehbaz Sharif’s “Shobazi”. “Today, everybody was expecting that Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyers will seek his acquittal telling the court that since their client had been declared an international “Sadiq and Ameen” by the UK court, he should be exonerated from all the charges of money laundering. But this did not happen. Instead, Shehbaz sought a next date of hearing [to linger on the case]”, he remarked. He accused Shehbaz Sharif and his accomplices of trying to distort the facts in a bid to befool the people by building a false narrative that the London court had acquitted the PML-N leader from money laundering charges. Giving details of the money laundering and keeping assets beyond means case against Shehbaz and his family members, Shahzad Akbar said that it involved money laundering to the tune of Rs 7 billion. It was initiated in 1990 when he became a public office holder and Shehbaz Sharif’s declared assets at that time stood at Rs 2.1 million. The assets swelled to Rs 14.8 million in 1998 and jumped to Rs 21 million in 2003.
“In 2005, the declared assets of Hamza Shehbaz were Rs 34.4 million. In the meanwhile, three Telegraphic Transfers (TT’s) amounting to 16 million had come in their assets. In 2009, Nusrat Shehbaz declared her assets amounting to Rs 134 for the first time. An addition of Rs 661 million was noticed in the assets of Shehbaz Sharif and family between 2003 to 2009. The main source of this Rs 661 million was TT transfers which came through money exchange companies. Until 2009, the total declared income of Shehbaz and family including Hamza, Suleman and Nusrat Shehbaz was Rs 77 million which makes only 11 per cent of the declared assets while the remaining 89 pc came from the TTs which did not come through any bank but through money exchange companies under fake documents”, he elaborated, adding further that later they also constructed two houses, one at Nathia Gali ((Nishat Lodge) and another one at Model Town in the name of Nusrat Shehbaz costing Rs 115 million mainly funded by the TTs.
Giving more details, he said that Rs 181 million TT’s were transferred in Hamza Shehbaz’s account till 2008. “After Hamza became MPA, the entire business was shifted to Suleman Shehbaz’s account. “Rs 3 billion TT’s dropped in Suleman’s account after 2009 out of which 1.5 billion TT was shown as a loan. This money was transferred in Mushtaq Cheeni Wala’s account and then he got this amount from him as a loan. Cheeni Wala told investigators that they did all this through arms twisting and brow beating. He has disowned this transaction and has turned an approver against the Shehbaz family”.
“In order to further launder the money, the Shehbaz family set up Madni Trading Corporation, Sharif Poultry Form, Sharif Dairy Form, European Alien Trading Corporation, Madina Construction, Sharif Feed Mills from 2003 to 2009. The sources of income of these companies were the TTs”, he said.
Shahzad termed this case a challenge for the judiciary. He said that under the new NAB ordinance, these cases should be concluded in six months. “This nation wants quick justice”, he said. Calling for reforms in the judicial system, he questioned why the transcription system in recording of evidence had not been introduced in the past. “The new NAB law has this provision of audio video recording of evidence and decision within six months”, he disclosed. To a question, he said that courts should adopt the latest methods of recording testimonies and evidence so that the cases could be concluded in time.