ISLAMABAD : Dec 13,2022.After returning from exile , Suleman Shahbaz, son of prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , appeared before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today to seek protective bail in two separate cases – money laundering and assets beyond known sources of income
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a Rs 16 billion money laundering case against Suleman Shahbaz and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a separate case against Suleman Shahbaz for accumulation of wealth and assets beyond known income means.
Suleman Shahbaz was declared proclaimed offender in both the cases.
Suleman Shahbaz had gone into self exile in 2018 and since then he was living in United Kingdom (UK).
His counsel , Amjad Pervez advocate, had filed a petition before the IHC last week seeking protective bail for his client and to surrender before the court to faces both the cases registered against him..
IHC Chief justice Amir Farooq had heard the case of Suleman Shahbaz and ruled that an accused can not be granted protective bail without surrendering before the court in person. The court however , passed on relief to Suleman Shahbaz by passing on an order barring the authorities of both watchdogs from arresting Suleman Shahbaz in any case pending against him.
The judge also ordered to Suleman Shahbaz to surrender before the court for protective bail on December 13,2022.
On surrendering today , IHC chief justice , Amir Farooq granted 14-day protective bail to Suleman Shahbaz and ordered him to appear before the LHC in money laundering case in stipulated period.
Salman Shahbaz on Imran Khan rule
Speaking to the media outside the IHC after getting protective bail, Suleman Shahbaz said he has returned to Pakistan after four years to face the fake cases registered against him in Imran Khan’s rule as a part of his campaign to use state machinery against the political opponents .
He said Imran Khan pressurised ex FIA director general , Bashir Mamon to arrest his political opponents and their family members . He said the cases filed against him were a part of the same methodology of Imran Khan. He said National Crime Agency (NCA) of UK has cleared him and his father prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , in alleged case of misuse of funds and corruption in earth quake money provided to Pakistan by UK agency . He added that his family was the worst victim of Imran Khan’s anti opposition approach . Suleman Shahbaz said he is back in Pakistan to face all the cases and prove that the cases registered against him were fake and based on crush opposition plan of Imran Khan. He said Imran Khan is a big liar , Cheater and thief. He should be ashamed of for wasting four years of this nation.
He said today Imran Khan stands exposed to the entire world.
Cases against Suleman
The FIA had booked Shehbaz and his sons Hamza and Suleman in November 2020 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act.
Arrest warrants had been issued for Suleman. However, in its report submitted to the court, the FIA had stated that the warrants could not be executed since Suleman was not present at his address and had gone abroad.
A trial court had also declared him a proclaimed offender, along with another suspect in a Rs16 billion money laundering case, in July this year.
According to the FIA report, the investigation team “detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed from 2008-18. The FIA examined a money trail of 17,000 credit transactions.”
The report added that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.
Also in June 2020, the NAB seized Suleman’s shares amounting to Rs2billion in 16 companies along with cash worth Rs4.1 million held in three bank accounts as well as 10 marlas agricultural land and pieces of land spreading over 209 kanals.
The NAB had also alleged that assets worth Rs3.3b had been identified back then as illegally accumulated by Suleman, his brother Hamza Shehbaz and their father Shehbaz Sharif.
This was after an accountability court in Lahore declared him a proclaimed offender in October 2019 after a NAB prosecutor said the bureau had issued at least six call-up notices to the suspect, but he did not respond and fled the country to avoid investigation.
