Shehbaz Sharif’s wife declared proclaimed offender

LAHORE – An accountability court on Tuesday declared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif’s wife, Nusrat Shehbaz, proclaimed offender for not attending hearings of money laundering case.

Accountability judge Jawadul Hassan heard the cases while Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza, who are in custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), were also presented in the court.

The court declaring Nusrat a proclaimed offender ordered cross questioning of witnesses in the case.

During the hearing, Shehbaz said that he during his three terms as chief minister of Punjab neither received salary nor committed corruption.

To which, the judge remarked: “It is better if you speak less as everything is noted here”.

Both Shehbaz and his son have been indicted in the case. NAB Lahore said that an inquiry was launched against former chief minister on a complaint made by Financial Monitoring Unit of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

It says Shehbaz Sharif held assets worth Rs2.1 million in 1990 and after eight years the assets of the PML-N president and his children grew to Rs10.8 million.

The NAB further adds Shehbaz and his children established nine business units during 2008 till 2018. The assets of the family grew to Rs6 billion through its frontmen and Benamidar. The anti-graft buster alleged the political family of building assets worth more than Rs7 billion by making corruption.

Salman Shehbaz, another son of Shehbaz Shrif, has also been declared fugitive for not appearing before the court.

The NAB said that Shehbaz and his family made assets of billions of rupees in ten years, adding that massive money laundering was also made through benami accounts.