LAHORE: An accountability court in Lahore on Wednesday confirmed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore’s orders to freeze properties owned by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, his sons Hamza Shehbaz and Salman Shehbaz, and other family members in connection with an investigation involving them in the income beyond means and money laundering case.
The court’s confirmation means that Shehbaz and his family members can neither sell their assets nor will the profits gained from the family’s properties go to them, according to NAB special prosecutor Hafiz Asadullah.
The decision comes a week after NAB Lahore Director General Shahzad Saleem froze 23 properties of Shehbaz, his sons and other family members in the income beyond means and money laundering case under Section 12 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
The NAB orders were to remain in place for 15 days, during which NAB filed an application in the accountability court for their confirmation.
“Having examined evidence collected so far during investigation, it is found that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza, Suleman and other Shehbaz Sharif’s family members have committed the said offences. These properties, therefore, are attached under Section 12 of the NAO 1999 till the disposal of the reference by the accountability court,” an official had earlier told newsmen.
Accountability Courts Administrative Judge Ameer Muhammad Khan in his detailed judgement noted that the Shehbaz family members nominated in the case have been accused of retaining assets beyond their ostensible means and the proportion of their wealth from 2003 to 2018 prima facie “is not proportionate to the known sources of the accused which has not been explained by the accused”.
“At this stage, even the provisions of the protection of Economic Reforms Act, 1992, would not be helpful to the accused party unless the sources of the said payments [are] disclosed by them,” the judgement states. It says the NAB freezing orders against the Shehbaz family are also supported by the statements given by approvers namely Muhammad Mushtaq alias Cheeni, Yasir Mushtaq, Shahid Rafique and Aftab Mehmood. While confirming the freezing orders, the court has stated that the Shehbaz family members have 14 days to file objections against the orders.
According to NAB, the frozen properties include two houses in Model Town and Nishat Lodges in Dounga Gali, Murree which were acquired by Shehbaz in the name of his wife Nusrat Shehbaz. A cottage, a villa and a plot in Haripur and two houses in Defence Lahore were acquired by Shehbaz in the name of his other wife, Tehmina Durrani. Land measuring over 390 kanal in Chiniot is in the name of Hamza Shehbaz and Suleman Shehbaz. Nine plots measuring five marla each in Jauhar Town and an over five-kanal house in Judicial Colony Lahore are in Hamza’s name.
Shehbaz has been on bail in Ramzan Sugar Mills and Ashiyana Housing cases, while Hamza is on judicial remand in the income beyond means, money laundering and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases. Suleman is absconding and presently resides in the UK.
Meanwhile, An accountability court in Lahore on Wednesday ordered authorities to freeze properties of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and his family. The accountability court has announced its verdict in a case related to freezing properties belonging to Shehbaz Sharif and his family filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The court, in its verdict, directed concerned authorities to freeze all assets of Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Suleman Shehbaz, two wives of Shehbaz including Nusrat Shehbaz and Tehmina Durrani.
Nawaz to leave for US
LONDON: Former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, who is currently under treatment in London, will leave for the United States (US) over the weekend for further specialised treatment. In this regard, the former premier’s family has contacted the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for the treatment of his blocked carotid artery. After arrival in the US, Nawaz will undergo a preliminary examination at the hospital before the commencement of further treatment. The 69-year-old three-time former prime minister was shifted to the Services hospital in October after his health condition deteriorated. Doctors then recommended him to get treatment abroad. The government had allowed Nawaz’s travel for medical reasons but put the condition that he submit an indemnity bond of Rs7-7.5 billion as a guarantee that he would return to the country after getting treatment. Nawaz, however, rejected the condition. He was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on humanitarian grounds in the Al Azizia case and by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the ongoing Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, in which he is a suspect. In November, Nawaz Sharif was allowed to leave the country to receive medical treatment in London without any bond. The former premier reached London on the night of November 19 for medical treatment in a “high-end air ambulance” which was equipped with an intensive care unit and an operation theatre a day after his name was removed from the no-fly list.
