Special Court Central Lahore judge Ijaz Hassan Awan acquits PM Shehbaz, Hamza in Rs 16 billion money laundering case
LAHORE, Oct 12 (SABAH): Special Court Central Lahore judge Ijaz Hassan Awan on Wednesday acquitted Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his son former chief minister Punjab Muhammad Hamza Shahbaz Sharif in the Rs16 billion an alleged money laundering case lodged against them by the Federal Investigation Agency.
The court announced its judgment in the mega money laundering case against the Shehbaz family after the FIA prosecutor informed the court that no money was directly deposited in the accounts of the father-son duo.
The father-son duo — who were summoned on Wednesday — did not appear before the court as their counsel filed a request for exemption as PM Shehbaz Sharif had official engagements and Hamza Shahbaz was not well.
The court acquitted the prime minister and his son after the FIA — last week — had cleared the PML-N leaders on the charges of laundering Rs16 billion as there was “no direct evidence” against the father-son duo.
In the previous hearing, Special Court Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan asked about the number of bank accounts owned by the Malik Maqsood — also known as Maqsood Chaprasi.
The FIA prosecutor Farooq Bajwa responded that late Maqsood had eight bank accounts to his name.
The prosecutor further stated that no money was either directly deposited or withdrawn from the accounts of the suspects, including Shehbaz and Hamza.
The judge asked what evidence was there to substantiate that the entire money dealing was being done at Hamza’s behest.
In response, FIA’s prosecutor said the agency does not have “any evidence” linking him to money laundering.
At the outset of the hearing on Wednesday, Muhammad Amjad Pervaiz Advocate — who represents PM Shehbaz and former Punjab chief minister Hamza — requested the court to grant the premier another exemption from hearing due to his unavoidable official engagements. The court had on Tuesday approved a similar request.
Muhammad Amjad Pervaiz Advocate told Judge Awan that none of the witnesses recorded a testimony against the PM or his son. He accused the investigation officer of trying to present “twisted statements” of witnesses. He castigated the FIA, saying the agency made the cases “on the basis of malice”.
According to the law, the prosecution has to prove its case, he argued, adding that the prosecution could not present any evidence on the charge of bribery so far.
FIA special prosecutor Farooq Bajwa told the court that co-suspect Masroor Anwar had been operating the bank account of Shehbaz Sharif, adding all benami accounts were operated by employees of the Ramzan Sugar Mills. He said the account of another suspect Gulzar Ahmed continued to be operated even after this death. “Do you have any evidence to corroborate to your statement,” the judge asked. Bajwa responded that the available records did not have any proof in this regard.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge reserved his verdict into the case.
On Tuesday, the judge initially asked the prosecutor how many bank accounts were operated in the name of co-suspect Malik Maqsood Ahmad, a peon in Ramzan Sugar Mills, who died while absconding in the United Arab Emirates.
The prosecutor said eight bank accounts of Maqsood Ahmad had been mentioned in the challan. However, he maintained that there was no evidence of any direct deposit or withdrawal in the bank accounts of Shehbaz and Hamza.
The prosecutor said Hamza was a shareholder of the sugar mills, but there was no evidence that the transactions made in the bank accounts of the mills’ employees were made on his instructions.
In December 2021, the FIA had submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza before the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case.
According to the FIA report submitted to the court, the investigation team has “detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the 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.
This amount (Rs16 billion) has nothing to do with the sugar business (of the Shehbaz family), it claimed.
The money received from the accounts of low-wage employees by Shehbaz was transferred outside Pakistan via hundi/hawala networks, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members, the FIA had alleged.
“Eleven low-paid employees of the Sharif group who ‘held and possessed’ the laundered proceeds on behalf of the principal accused, are found guilty of facilitating money laundering,” the agency had said.
“The three other co-accused of the Sharif group also actively facilitated the money laundering,” it had added.