LHC denies Hamza Shehbaz bail in money laundering case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday turned down a bail petition filed by PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz in relation to a money laundering and assets beyond means case against him.

While hearing the case today, the court remarked that Hamza had failed to give satisfactory answers regarding his sources of income.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel stated that money laundering laws do not apply to Hamza as they were introduced after he had allegedly committed the crime.

Hamza's counsel said the money in question was transferred into his accounts before money laundering laws were introduced. 

He recalled that the first ordinance against money laundering was introduced in 2007, which lapsed in 90 days. The second ordinance was introduced in 2009, and the actual law against money laundering was introduced in 2010. 

The court remarked that if it accepts the applicant’s point of view, the anti-money laundering law will be rendered completely redundant.

During the arguments, the court noted that Hamza's father, former chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, was a three-time public office holder, to which Hamza replied that he himself was not once in any such position.

Hamza Shehbaz’s lawyer contended that every detail had been provided in the accused's income tax returns.

When the court inquired regarding the increase in Hamza's personal accounts over the years, the NAB prosecutor said there was an increase of more than Rs400 million in the said accounts from 2009 till 2018.

The court inquired if the money had been deposited directly into Hamza's personal accounts, to which the prosecutor responded in the affirmative.

Open cases

On February 6, the LHC had granted Hamza Shehbaz bail in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

Shehbaz had been indicted in the sugar mills case, along with his father Shehbaz Sharif, on April 9 last year.

In his petition for bail, filed through counsel Amjad Pervaiz, the PML-N leader had alleged that the accountability bureau had initiated an inquiry into Ramzan Sugar Mills with malicious intentions.

Read more: LHC grants Hamza Shehbaz bail in Ramzan Sugar Mills case

On April 17, 2019, Hamza was granted pre-arrest bail by the LHC, which also restrained NAB from arresting him in cases pertaining to ownership of assets beyond means until further notice. Hamza was also directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs10 million at the time. 

The PML-N leader was arrested by NAB from inside the LHC on June 11 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and money laundering cases after the two-member LHC bench cancelled Hamza's bail.