LAHORE
The Accountability Court of Lahore has issued its written verdict regarding the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz, and others in a money laundering reference.
The verdict states that the allegations of corruption against Shehbaz Sharif and others could not be proved.
The NAB could not recover any documents from Shehbaz during his physical remand, which could prove that he paid the money for the properties, it added.
The prosecution also did not mention any amount in the reference.
Shehbaz Sharif has been paying taxes regularly since 2008, and declared everything in them.
The prosecution could not find the properties of the co-suspects in the alleged possession of Shehbaz Sharif, the order said.
After the trial, the suspects are not likely to be convicted, and are acquitted.
The court acquitted Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Nusrat Shehbaz, Jawaria Ali, and Nisar Ahmed.
It also issued a permanent arrest warrant for Rabia Imran, who has been declared an absconder.
The verdict said that it was the duty of the prosecution to gather evidence of abuse of power against Shehbaz Sharif.
According to the NAB’s reply, Shehbaz Sharif had no connection with the
FTTs, which cannot be linked to corruption. The Anti-Money Laundering Act does not apply in these circumstances.
The NAB admitted in the supplementary investigation that corruption could not be proved against the suspect.
According to the suspect’s counsel, the details of income and assets given in the income tax returns have not been challenged by the prosecution.
According to the NAB’s supplementary investigation, Shehbaz Sharif’s assets are not more than his income, the verdict stated.
According to the bureau, the assets acquired by Shehbaz Sharif in the UK from 2005 to 2010 were appropriate.
According to the NAB, Nusrat Shehbaz, Hamza Shehbaz, and Jawaria Shehbaz Sharif are not benamidars, the decision said.
