Shehbaz never responds to money laundering charges: Shahzad Akbar

Shehbaz never responds to money laundering charges: Shahzad Akbar
Shehbaz never responds to money laundering charges: Shahzad Akbar

LAHORE, Jan 21 (APP): Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Shahzad Akbar Friday said that Pakistan Muslim League-N president Shehbaz Sharif had never responded to queries of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) about facts of the cases against him pertaining to money laundering and corruption.

Addressing a press conference at 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, he said that as per the case facts, payments were deposited to Gulzar’s account from Aurangzeb Butt and another front man Masroor Anwar, who was involved in depositing cheques, withdrawing cash and then depositing it to the Sharif Family’s account but Shehbaz Sharif had never given any clarification about the facts.

He said that Shehbaz Sharif claimed that matters pertaining to the business should be asked to his children. Shahzad Akbar said that secret and undeclared bank accounts were surfaced after investigation into Ramzan Sugar Mill’s record but Shehbaz Sharif insisted that he should not be asked about such accounts.

The adviser said that a court had extended interim bail to Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz in FIA’s money laundering and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases till January 28, 2022.

Regarding the affidavit of Rana Shamim in Islamabah High Court, Shahzad Akbar quoted PPP leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan’s viewpoint on the ‘Sharif’s doctrine’ to either approach the judges or attack them for getting decision in their favour, adding that audio tapes of Shehbaz Sharif, Abdul Qayyum Malik and Saifur Rehman were evidences of the ‘Sharif’s doctrine’.

He said that Maryam Nawaz’s case of Avenfield Apartment was fixed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) but the Sharif family used delaying tactics when the court ordered to proceed the case, then they surfaced an alleged audio tape of Justice (retd) Mian Saqib Nisar while the reality of this tape was also exposed within two days even a common man could evaluate genuineness of such audio tape, he maintained.

Later on, the affidavit of Rana Shamim came to light whose purpose was to influence the case or pressurize the court with delaying tactics, he said and added that now time had changed they could not influence the institutions as they did in the past.

Shahzad Akbar said the IHC had taken notice of the affidavit and started contempt proceedings after which Rana Shamim appeared in the court and claimed that he did not submitted this affidavit as it was in locker.

The adviser said, it reported that the affidavit was signed in Nawaz Sharif’s Office in London as
Nawaz Sharif wanted to influence the judiciary by sitting abroad.

He said that the Sharif family would still propagate to defend their cases, however, the government was fully aware to tackle the situation.

Shahzad Akbar said that it was also reported that Charles Ghutrie who notarized the affidavit made such proceedings in Nawaz Sharif’ Office in London. Secondly, the forensic report also verified the voice of Charles Ghutrie, making his statement and claims real, the adviser said and added that Charles Ghuthrie used to sign the Sharif Family’s affidavits, including medical reports.

Charles Ghuthrie also disclosed, it was discussed there that the PML-N would give a posting to Rana Shamim when they would come to power, Shahzad Akbar said.

To a question, he said no presidential system would be in place but the government was making efforts to bring about further reforms to strengthen the institutions.

To another query, he said the application against former principle secretary to CM Tahir Khurshid was at complaint verification stage in NAB.

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