A special principal court docket acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son former Punjab chief minister Hamaza Shehbaz inside the Rs16 billion cash laundering case on Wednesday.
The unique court docket judge had reserved the decision after listening to designated arguments on acquittal software of each the accused humans. However, after acquitting the aforesaid, the court docket summoned the relaxation of accused for framing of expenses within the case.
The best and his son did no longer seem earlier than the courtroom. Their legal professional, Amjad Pervaiz, filed a request for exemption from look as the prime minister become busy with reliable engagements and Hamza became unwell.
PM Shehbaz took to Twitter to express his satisfaction over the court docket verdict. “Despite the worst practices, use of country pressure and holding establishments hostage, we stand earlier than the court docket, the law and the human beings vindicated,” he added.The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s arguments revolved around expelling the affect that there is not even a single direct allegation upon Prime Minister Shehbaz and his son Hamza that can set up their guilt within the case.FIA’s prosecutor through his arguments had given clean chit to the PM and his son arguing that the record indicates that neither the amounts had ever been deposited nor withdrawn immediately from PM Shehbaz and Hamza’s financial institution debts. On choose’s queries concerning evidences of the transaction of the quantities if made on their instructions, the FIA’s stance turned into that there is no proof which could establish it.
Earlier, the PM’s counsel propose Amjad Pervez had completed his arguments on PM’s acquittal application contending that FIA had eliminated allegation of Rs9 billion from the challan. The bills belonged to some other accused Mushtaq Cheeni and the FIA had now not initiated investigation towards him, he maintained.
“Those false memories of the kickbacks referred to in the FIR had now not been made a part of challan,” he in addition told the court. On a point, he termed the testimonies of kickbacks as tales of what he called “Alif Laila”. It seems that this example had been woven inspiring the film “Money Heist”, he further informed the courtroom.
FIA’s case
The Federal Investigation Agency had registered the case towards Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza Shehbaz Sharif (former leader minister Punjab) and Suleman Shehbaz in November 2020 underneath sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act.
Challan
It is pertinent to say that the FIA in December 2021 had submitted the challan in opposition to Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz over their alleged involvement in Rs16 billion money laundering case.The FIA’s record released 28 benami bills of the Shehbaz own family which have been detected through the research team through which money laundering of Rs16.3 billion was allegedly committed at some point of 2008-18. The FIA tested the cash path of 17,000 credit score transactions. The file delivered up that the amount become stored in hidden debts and given to Shehbaz in a non-public capability.
The FIA alleged that the money received from the bills of low-salary personnel through Shehbaz Sharif have been transferred outdoor Pakistan via hundi giving benefits to his family. Eleven low-paid personnel of the Sharif own family were located responsible of facilitating cash laundering.
