LAHORE - Muhammad Mushtaq alias ‘Chini’, alleged front man of Sharif family, got his statement recorded before a judicial magistrate in the money laundering case, on Monday.

Mushtaq and his son Yasir’s statements were recorded under section 164 before Judicial Magistrate Ahmed Waqas.

Yesterday, the NAB officials presented Mushtaq before the magisterial court to have his statement recorded as an approver.

In his statement, he revealed that he laundered millions of rupees at the behest of Shehbaz Sharif. He admitted that he had played a key role in whitening the Sharif family’s black money.

Chini admitted in his statement given to the court that in 2014 he met with Usman, the chief finance officer of Sharif family’s companies. He said that Usman asked him that black money worth Rs690 million of Slaman Shehbaz was to be whitened.

He further said that that he had earlier refused to do so because it was not in his hand. But Usman asked him that only the latter’s accounts will be used for the purpose, Chini said.

“Then I allowed my accounts to be used for the purpose due to my old relations with Sharif family and for the purpose of whitening of black money,” he said.

As per the NAB, suspect Mushtaq through illegal transactions had deposited Rs500 million into his own account which he then transferred to the account of Salman.

Earlier, Chini had requested the National Accountability Bureau chairman that he wanted to become an approver in the money laundering case against Punjab Assembly’s opposition leader Hamza and his brother Salman Shehbaz.

NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal had accepted the accused person’s request to become approver and testify against the PML-N leaders.

In April 2019, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Chini from Lahore airport and handed him over to the NAB. Later on the NAB’s request, his name was placed on the exit control list.

The accused had gone into hiding after the accountability watchdog made arrests in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

Chini stated that Rs500 million were transferred to his accounts through telegraphic transfers from abroad in 2014 and cheques of the same amount were issued by him in the name of Salman Shehbaz, which were deposited in his account. He said that Usman paid money to Qasim Qayyum and other money changers for telegraphic transfers.

Chini admitted that Rs 100 million were also transferred to his account from Waqar A Company, owned by an employee of Salman Shehbaz, and then the cheques of the same amount were issued by him in name of Salman Shehbaz.

He stated that Salman Shehbaz also got prepared two fake loan agreements in order to legalise all these transactions.