Staff Reporter – Lahore:
An accountability court in Lahore has indicted Nusrat Shehbaz, wife of former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a money-laundering case.
The verdict was announced at a hearing pertaining to money laundering cases against Shehbaz and son Hamza filed by the National Accountability Bureau.
Nusrat was indicted through a pleader as she is out of the country for medical treatment. Earlier, she was declared a proclaimed offender for not appearing in court.
Hamza and Shehbaz have already been indicted in the case.
At the hearing on Friday, Shehbaz was granted exemption from appearing in court. According to his counsel, the former chief minister was unwell and has been advised to rest.
Hamza and others accused marked their attendance.
The court adjourned the hearing till October 18 and summoned NAB’s witnesses at the next hearing.
Money laundering charges
NAB has accused Shehbaz of laundering money and owning more assets than his known sources of income
The evidence collected revealed that Shehbaz and his sons Hamza Shehbaz and Soleiman Shahbaz and wife Nusrat Shehbaz had net assets of Rs14.8 million in 1998, according to the accountability bureau.
Shehbaz in “connivance with his other family members/benamidars accumulated assets to the tune of Rs7,328 million till 2018”.
The amount is “disproportionate to known sources of income and for which neither the accused nor his other family members/benamidars could reasonably account for.”
Shehbaz’s lawyer had, however, argued that a reference has been filed and investigation completed, adding that all questionnaires mentioned by NAB have been answered too.
