An accountability court on Thursday granted one-day exemption to PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz from hearing in money laundering and asset beyond means cases against the Sharif family. A lawyer for the former Punjab chief minister told court that his client was in London for treatment of his daughter, who is a cardiac patient. The accountability court judge accepted the exemption plea and adjourned the hearing till Jan 12, 2023.

In October last, a special court in Lahore acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in a Rs16 billion money-laundering case due to the lack of evidence against them. The father-son duo was booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in November 2020 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Anti Money Laundering Act while they were in the opposition. The agency filed the case in December 2021, accusing them of laundering Rs16.3 billion by using 28 different accounts between 2008 and 2018.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP