Pakistan: FIA Not To Prosecute PM Shehbaz, Hamza In Money Laundering Case
Islamabad, May 12: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has said that it has decided not to prosecute Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz in the Rs.16 billion money laundering case three days before a special Lahore court was scheduled to frame charges against the PML-N leaders, Dawn reported on Thursday.
The FIA director general (DG) in a written application submitted in the court, told the Special Prosecutor not to appear in court as the “accused in the case are going to be elected the prime minister of Pakistan and chief minister of Punjab”, stating that “The concerned quarters are not interested to prosecute the accused persons,” and requesting that these instructions be made part of the case record.
Earlier in the week, FIA former director Mohammad Rizwan, who probed the charges against Shehbaz and his son, died of a heart attack. The FIA had booked PM Shehbaz and his sons, Hamza and Suleman, in November 2020 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of Prevention of Corruption Act and read with 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act, along with 14 others who have been named under sections 5(2) and 5(3) 9 criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Suleman Shehbaz fled to the UK. The special court had on January 27 granted pre-arrest bail to Shehbaz and Hamza in the case. After the agency submitted its request on Wednesday, the court took the application on record and annexed it with the case.
The move comes just three days before the court was to indict the premier and the Punjab chief minister on May 14. During the previous hearing, the court had instructed the premier and others to ensure their presence at the next hearing as no further adjournments would be made.
