Lahore, Apr 4 (PTI) A Pakistani court on Monday dismissed a petition of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to cancel the pre-arrest bail of the join Opposition’s nominee for the slot of prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in a PKR 14 billion money laundering case.
The court, however, said that he and other suspects will be indicted on April 11.
The court’s verdict has come as a blow for Prime Minister Imran Khan who was keen to see Shehbaz behind bars in the ongoing constitutional crisis triggered by dissolution of the National Assembly.
Shehbaz, the PML-N president and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly, did not appear before the special court of the FIA in Lahore as he had sought exemption to appear before the Supreme Court on the petitions of the opposition parties challenging the dismissal of no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan by the deputy speaker that plunged the country into constitutional crisis.
His son Hamza, however, appeared before the court.
Shehbaz’s counsel Advocate Amjad Pervez told the court that the FIA challenged the bail of the opposition leader only to please “one individual” (prime minister Khan).
An FIA official pleaded before the court to withdraw its bail order as Shehbaz had been “misusing the concession of bail”.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan dismissed FIA’s petition and extended the bail of Shehbaz and his son Hamza till April 11. The judge also announced indicting the suspects in the case on next hearing on April 11.
The FIA had registered FIR against Shehbaz and his sons – Hamza and Suleman – under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 (financial fraud, impersonation and forgery) of the Pakistan Penal Code and sections 5(2) and 5(3) (criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and read with Section 3/4 of the Anti-Money laundering Act.
Shehbaz has termed the case ‘politically motivated’ based on Khan’s vengeance. PTI MZ ZH ZH ZH
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