LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail petition of Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz in money laundering case.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Syed Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem heard the case. During the proceedings, Hamza Shehbaz’s lawyer Salman Aslam Butt said that his client was being subjected to political revenge. He argued that non-political powers including National Accountability Bureau were using inquiry for their own interest.
The lawyer said that Hamza’s arrest warrants were issued on April 12, 2019 and that his employees were declared benami in the case by the anti-graft authority.
The PML-N leader was kept in custody for 189 days. However, no reference was filed against him. The investigators had neglected section 18 of NAB Ordinance at the time of launching probe into money laundering case, the lawyer said.
The counsel went on to say that anti-money laundering act was also violated in case against Hamza Shehbaz. NAB had no jurisdiction to hear this case, he claimed. Earlier, LHC had granted bail to Hamza Shehbaz in Ramzan Sugar Mills case.