The court holds that there is no other choice but to acquit the accused, as NAB had explicitly stated the absence of evidence against them.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 20th, 2023) An accountability court in Lahore made a decision on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shahbaz in the money laundering case.
The case, which involved Rs7 billion, was filed in August 2020. After the two leaders sought acquittal, the court granted their plea, leading to their exoneration.
Not only the Prime Minister and his son, but also Nusrat Shehbaz (PM's wife), Javeria Ali (PM's daughter), Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed, and Nisar Ahmed were acquitted.
However, a perpetual arrest warrant was issued for PM Shehbaz's daughter, Rabia Imran, who was declared an absconder in the case.
The family expressed their belief that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to produce any evidence against them. Subsequently, NAB investigators confirmed the lack of evidence.
In the court's verdict, which had been reserved earlier this month, it was stated that there was no other choice but to acquit the accused, as NAB had explicitly stated the absence of evidence against them.
The reference was filed by the anti-graft watchdog in August 2020, during Shehbaz Sharif's tenure as the opposition leader in the National Assembly. He was arrested by NAB after the Lahore High Court denied his bail on September 29.
Subsequently, the prime minister, his son, and other accused were indicted by the accountability court on November 11. Shehbaz was released on bail in April 2021.
