The court has prolonged the interim bail of PM Shehbaz and Hamza until June 11.
A special court in Lahore extended Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s and his son Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz’s interim bail until June 11 in the Rs16 billion money laundering case filed against them by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
However, because Suleman Shahbaz and two other defendants were not present, the presiding judge of the Special Court (Central-I), Ijaz Hassan Awan, issued non-bailable arrest warrants for them. The hearing was then postponed until June 11.
The FIA informed the court at the start of today’s hearing that it intended to arrest PM Shehbaz and CM Hamza. The FIA’s lawyer argued that the two were “not part of the investigation,” but Hamza’s counsel rejected the claims, accusing the agency of misleading the court because the “two were a part of the investigations.”
Mohammad Amjad Pervaiz, counsel for Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz, stated in his arguments that the investigation has been ongoing for one and a half years and that the FIA has been unable to produce any evidence against his clients.
Both PML-N leaders left the court as Amjad Pervaiz began presenting his arguments for bail confirmation in the money laundering case.
The FIA interrogated the father-son duo while both were in jail, according to the counsel.
The judge ordered all other parties to appear.
Hearing on NAB citations
On the other hand, during the hearing in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and Ashiyana Housing cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in an accountability court, PM Shehbaz asked the judge to allow him to present arguments and requested time for it.
During the hearing, prosecutor Asadullah Malik called witnesses to present evidence in corruption cases, while SSP Legal Lahore Police requested more time from the court to present complete records.
The hearing was adjourned until June 20 after all of the arguments were heard.
It is worth noting that Shehbaz has already been charged in the Ashiyana Housing FIA case.
The FIA filed a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza before the special court in December 2021 for their alleged involvement.
