PM Shehbaz Sharif and son Hamza Sharif acquitted in money laundering case

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A special court in Lahore on Wednesday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in the Rs16 billion money laundering case.

The premier and his son did not appear before the court. Their lawyer, Amjad Pervaiz, filed a request for exemption from appearance as the prime minister was busy with official engagements and Hamza was unwell.

Yesterday, the FIA prosecutor, during a special court hearing, argued in favour of expelling the impression that there was any direct allegation against Prime Minister Shehbaz and his son, former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz, which could establish their guilt in the Rs16 billion money laundering case.

A special central court judge heard the money laundering case against the aforesaid and other accused persons.

Earlier this month, the FIA had given a clean chit to PM Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz, on the charges of money laundering to the tune of Rs16 billion, saying there was no direct evidence against them in the case.

Answering the questions raised by the judge on Tuesday, the FIA prosecutor informed the court that Malik Maqsood – the deceased key figure in the money laundering case – had been operating eight bank accounts and that all the details had been mentioned in the challan submitted before the court.

FIA’s prosecutor, Farooq Bajwa, further argued that the record shows that neither the amounts had ever been deposited nor withdrawn from PM Shehbaz Sharif or from his son Hamza’s bank accounts.

Hamza’s counsel argued that there is no allegation of kickbacks on the accused persons. The FIA had excluded bankers from this case and neither are the bankers' witnesses nor the accused. He added that the investigation was carried out before the political regime changed and the statements were recorded on political bases.

Express Tribune
 
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I congratulate all Pakistani people on this memorable event of justice.

The judges have made a bold but correct decision. No one should be allowed to make fakes cases like this against others ever again! Hopefully this sets a precedent.
 
Congratulations to the Patwaris, Faujis, Mullahs, Pakistani justice and this rotten family's backers around the world! :)

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Thanks to Bajwa and his band of crooks we have destroyed any semblance of law and order. So there goes another 30 years where no one will have trust in a system setup by the mafia to support the mafia. Only one job left and that is kill Kaptaan,all other objectives achieved.
 
In a scathing criticism of the Pakistani elite, the former director of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Pakistan Marc-André Franche, said the only way a critical change could happen in the country was when the influential, the politicians and the wealthy, would sacrifice short term, individual and family interests for*the benefit of the nation.

“You cannot have an elite that takes advantage of very cheap and uneducated labour when it comes to making money, and when it is time to party it is found in London, and when it's time to buy things it is in Dubai, and when it's time to buy property it invests in Dubai or Europe or New York. The elite needs to decide do they want a country or not,” Franche said, according to the*Business Recorder.

Pakistan's current tax regime favours elite, says tax reforms report

The former director, who spent four years in Pakistan, was also critical of the landowners. “I have visited some very large landowners, who have exploited the land for centuries, paid nearly zero money for the water, and how they almost sometimes hold people in bondage. And then they come to the United Nations or other agencies and ask us to invest in water, sanitation, and education for the people in their district. I find that quite embarrassing.”

Having visited Karachi this month, Franche was appalled to see the condition of the city.*“It's at a breaking a point. If Karachi is at all to continue being the engine of growth in this country, something needs to be done about public utilities. You cannot live in Karachi and grow your business anymore with the state of disrepair of public institutions.”

Further, he expressed his frustration that Pakistan was not making more progress in terms of poverty reduction, inequality, modernising the state, and functioning institutions. “The fact that even in 2016, Pakistan has 38 per cent poverty; it has districts that live like sub-Saharan Africa; that the basic human rights of minorities, women and the people of FATA are not respected; that this country has not been able to get its act together and hold a census; or that it has not been able to push for reforms in FATA, an area that is institutionally living in 17th century. It is extremely preoccupying.”

Bribery incidence in Pakistan much higher than rest of South Asia

“Pakistan will not be able to survive with gated communities where you are completely isolated from the societies, where you are creating ghettos at one end and big huge malls for the rich at the other end. It is not the kind of society you want your kids to live in,” he added.

Franche shared that he was disappointed with the quality of local government laws that each province had developed. “Only KP has a decent law that gives real power and real money to the local government. Local government does not mean that you just elect them and deny them fiscal resources or power. We have been advocating for a review of those laws. In KP, because they put in place a decent local government law, we are currently finalising the agreement with the provincial government to support them in local governance, focusing first on seven districts, one per each division.”

The ex-director of UNDP Pakistan was also critical of the media, adding that there was a deficit of media literacy. “The media is one of the pillars of democracy and the media has to educate the public. Unfortunately, the level of dependence of the government on military authorities, and the degree by which a lot of media in this country is manipulated by powerful sources, are sources of erosion of democracy and erosion of the institutions that are the foundations of this country.”

He added that he was concerned about inequality of rights and opportunities in Pakistan. “The apartheid of opportunities in Pakistan is horrible, which is why so many young people are trying to leave the country. This is one of the issues that UNDP will continue to work on in Pakistan for sure - investing in both improving the quality of data, and the quality of analysis of inequality.”

Cities in Pakistan planned for rich housing

Although, he didn’t think there was an imminent threat of a revolt by the poor, he did see it happening eventually. “I don't see those circumstances emerging in Pakistan at the moment. But it will eventually happen in one way or the other. You cannot have a country, where nearly 40 per cent of the people live in poverty.”

As he leaves Pakistan, he spoke about his love for the country. “When you spend four years in a country, you learn to appreciate its complexity. I do not even remember how many times I have been to Balochistan; I believe I have been to nearly every district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; I have gone to the northern areas a number of times; and I have, of course, travelled in Punjab and Sindh. So I am leaving with a lot of admiration for Pakistan and its people. When you read the history of Pakistan, it was not obvious that this country would survive. There was a lot of criticism and people doubting that it will. Yet it has, and it has come very far and achieved a lot in many ways.”
 
A wonderful and just decision. More humiliation for the fake messiah and his supporters.

He has failed to provide evidence for his allegations and it is time to finish him off once and for all.

He has caused irreparable damage to the nation over the last decade and the time has come to deal with him for good.

This was the final nail his coffin.
 
A wonderful and just decision. More humiliation for the fake messiah and his supporters.

He has failed to provide evidence for his allegations and it is time to finish him off once and for all.

He has caused irreparable damage to the nation over the last decade and the time has come to deal with him for good.

This was the final nail his coffin.

Only a total imbecile would make a such comment, the evidence was provided, they had to kill the investigation officer and even then the FIA had to be told not to pursue the case. The only people humiliated is the losers that thought this set of crooks had even a small bone or competence. Kaptaan said they only wanted the NRO and you told us he was lying and today you stand humiliated because everything you pretended to stand for has been thrown in your face. Kaptaan has 80% of PK with him, what do you have except desperate trolling
 
A wonderful and just decision. More humiliation for the fake messiah and his supporters.

He has failed to provide evidence for his allegations and it is time to finish him off once and for all.

He has caused irreparable damage to the nation over the last decade and the time has come to deal with him for good.

This was the final nail his coffin.

Your families are owned by establishment. You maybe stupid but you step out of line, these cases are going back on the agenda.
Maqsood Chaprasi’ dies of cardiac arrest in Dubai

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/964898-maqsood-chaprasi-dies-of-cardiac-arrest-in-dubai

Former FIA director Dr Rizwan dies from cardiac arrest
https://mmnews.tv/former-fia-director-dr-rizwan-dies-from-cardiac-arrest/
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mr Bajwa congratulations to you and few with you . Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country . With these thugs getting free You have legitimise corruption . How you predict now the future of this country ? <a href="https://t.co/uZgHQjZ7lJ">pic.twitter.com/uZgHQjZ7lJ</a></p>— Senator Azam Khan Swati (@AzamKhanSwatiPk) <a href="https://twitter.com/AzamKhanSwatiPk/status/1580196735288107010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Senator Azam Khan Swati
@AzamKhanSwatiPk

Mr Bajwa congratulations to you and few with you . Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country . With these thugs getting free You have legitimise corruption . How you predict now the future of this country ?

The aftermath: Senator Azam Khan Swati is arrested and tortured by "agencies"... over a tweet.


All freedom of speech advocates and democrats are silent. National and international.
 
The damage done to every single institution is so deep under the Gen that it take decades to undue. Who is going to trust any institution? All hopes and aspirations destroyed by one man, I hope he rots in hell. For all his faults Mush, Generally meant well but this guy is a curse.
 
The court that recently acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, former Punjab chief minister Hamza, in a Rs16 billion money laundering case, on Thursday issued its detailed verdict -- exposing the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) flaws in investigation and prosecution.

Special Central Judge Ijaz Awan issued a 31-page written judgment that read that the FIA had recorded the statements of 66 witnesses to prove that the benami accounts belonged to PM Shehbaz and Hamza.
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However, none of the witnesses had named the prime minister and his sons, Hamza and Suleman.

Not even any banker had testified against them.

The verdict further read that the FIA was unable to prove that these benami accounts were operated by PM Shehbaz and his son.

Not a penny was transferred to the father and son duo from these benami accounts.

The judgment noted that there was no record of any direct transactions made to the bank accounts of the prime minister and his son.

It added that there was nothing in the record presented to the court that showed the petitioner had benefitted in any way.

The verdict further noted that the FIA prosecution had failed to establish that PM Shehbaz had remained the director or shareholder of the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The judgment noted that the investigation officer had not believed the testimony of witness Aslam Zeb Butt.

It added that when the prosecution itself had no confidence in the testimony of a witness, then that person lost value in the eyes of the law.

During investigation, Butt had claimed that he had deposited an amount of Rs250,000 in the party office on the instructions of Suleman.

The witness had claimed that he had further deposited a sum of Rs1 million on Suleman’s directives.

However, the incumbent investigation officer told the court that Butt had said nothing against Shehbaz or Hamza.

There was an allegation that co-accused Masroor Anwar had carried out four transactions to the bank account of the late Gulzar Ahmed, the purported cash boy of PM Shehbaz.

The verdict read that the FIA prosecution was given the opportunity to prove this, but it could not.

Witness Muhammad Tauqeer had claimed that his account was opened on the instructions of Sharif Company CFO Muhammad Usman.

The investigating officer failed to provide the details of this joint account to the court.

The challan read that Malik Maqsood’s account was operated by Ramzan Sugar Mills general manager Ishrat Jameel. The FIA prosecution did not provide any evidence to establish this.

It is alleged in the case that various politicians, contractors and others had deposited cheques and money in benami accounts. A politician had even deposited Rs14 million for a party ticket.

The judgment noted that the FIA prosecution had neither disclosed the name of that politician, nor the identity of those contractors.

It added that in the present case, Shehbaz and Hamza could not be charged and were not likely to be punished.

The verdict noted that the FIA had initially claimed that the case involved Rs25 billion but presented a challan of Rs16 billion.

It added that the FIA had attached documents for opening benami accounts with the challan.

The record showed that the benami accounts were opened in the names of low-wage employees of Ramzan Sugar Mills.

However, as per the opening form, neither PM Shehbaz, nor his son had used their influence for this purpose.

The judgment read that Hamza had admitted that he was a shareholder and director of Ramzan Sugar Mills.

However, it could not be established that Hamza operated these benami accounts based on the personal opinion and analysis of the investigator.

The FIA had registered a case against then opposition leader 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 r/w 3/4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In December 2021, the agency had submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza over their alleged involvement in the Rs16 billion money laundering case.

Express Tribune
 
The court that recently acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, former Punjab chief minister Hamza, in a Rs16 billion money laundering case, on Thursday issued its detailed verdict -- exposing the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) flaws in investigation and prosecution.

Special Central Judge Ijaz Awan issued a 31-page written judgment that read that the FIA had recorded the statements of 66 witnesses to prove that the benami accounts belonged to PM Shehbaz and Hamza.
Advertisement

However, none of the witnesses had named the prime minister and his sons, Hamza and Suleman.

Not even any banker had testified against them.

The verdict further read that the FIA was unable to prove that these benami accounts were operated by PM Shehbaz and his son.

Not a penny was transferred to the father and son duo from these benami accounts.

The judgment noted that there was no record of any direct transactions made to the bank accounts of the prime minister and his son.

It added that there was nothing in the record presented to the court that showed the petitioner had benefitted in any way.

The verdict further noted that the FIA prosecution had failed to establish that PM Shehbaz had remained the director or shareholder of the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The judgment noted that the investigation officer had not believed the testimony of witness Aslam Zeb Butt.

It added that when the prosecution itself had no confidence in the testimony of a witness, then that person lost value in the eyes of the law.

During investigation, Butt had claimed that he had deposited an amount of Rs250,000 in the party office on the instructions of Suleman.

The witness had claimed that he had further deposited a sum of Rs1 million on Suleman’s directives.

However, the incumbent investigation officer told the court that Butt had said nothing against Shehbaz or Hamza.

There was an allegation that co-accused Masroor Anwar had carried out four transactions to the bank account of the late Gulzar Ahmed, the purported cash boy of PM Shehbaz.

The verdict read that the FIA prosecution was given the opportunity to prove this, but it could not.

Witness Muhammad Tauqeer had claimed that his account was opened on the instructions of Sharif Company CFO Muhammad Usman.

The investigating officer failed to provide the details of this joint account to the court.

The challan read that Malik Maqsood’s account was operated by Ramzan Sugar Mills general manager Ishrat Jameel. The FIA prosecution did not provide any evidence to establish this.

It is alleged in the case that various politicians, contractors and others had deposited cheques and money in benami accounts. A politician had even deposited Rs14 million for a party ticket.

The judgment noted that the FIA prosecution had neither disclosed the name of that politician, nor the identity of those contractors.

It added that in the present case, Shehbaz and Hamza could not be charged and were not likely to be punished.

The verdict noted that the FIA had initially claimed that the case involved Rs25 billion but presented a challan of Rs16 billion.

It added that the FIA had attached documents for opening benami accounts with the challan.

The record showed that the benami accounts were opened in the names of low-wage employees of Ramzan Sugar Mills.

However, as per the opening form, neither PM Shehbaz, nor his son had used their influence for this purpose.

The judgment read that Hamza had admitted that he was a shareholder and director of Ramzan Sugar Mills.

However, it could not be established that Hamza operated these benami accounts based on the personal opinion and analysis of the investigator.

The FIA had registered a case against then opposition leader 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 r/w 3/4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In December 2021, the agency had submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza over their alleged involvement in the Rs16 billion money laundering case.

Express Tribune

So Maqsood Chaprasi and others were acting all alone and having billions in their accounts whilst having salaries of 25000 rps per month. And it was all that simple. Crooked judiciary, crooked Bajwa
 
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, along with other federal ministers, on Friday pushed back against PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan’s recent remarks on the acquittals of the Sharif family, describing the senior lawyer as a “betrayer”.

In a media talk earlier this week, the senior PPP leader alleged that the “establishment” helped the Sharif family get clear of the cases of corruption against them.

“Bajwa sahab has rescued them (Sharif family) from conviction in cases and he has committed a big crime,” he had said.

He had further claimed the cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif were open-and-shut and their conviction was evident.

Flanked by Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik, and Adviser to the PM Atta Tarar in a press conference in Islamabad today, Asif — without naming the PPP leader — said his comments were coming out of “personal frustration”.

“Someone claimed that a phone call was made and then the verdict was passed. It was said by a popular PPP leader […] I am not sure if he is still one or not […] so I will call him a law expert because he was my teacher.

“He was the first man who freed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He got elected in a rigged election during Ziaul Haq’s tenure. He has been a traitor since then,” the minister said.

Asif asserted that in the last few years, the PML-N had proved with its actions and stance that it did not want to violate the judicial system.

“From Nawaz appearing before JIT (joint investigation team) to PM Shehbaz turning up at courts, this all happened and the courts delivered verdicts that served justice.

“Unlike Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where accountability offices were closed and the billion tree tsunami case was neglected, we went through all the processes, we were jailed, and then got bail,” he said, adding that despite this, the PML-N had protected the courts’ prestige and repeatedly demonstrated respect.

“And I hope everyone in office continues to do the same. We emerged victorious. This is personal frustration if someone is claiming that ‘xyz’ made a telephone call to get verdicts of desire.”

In response to a question on whether Ahsan would be charged under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution, the minister said: “A man whose political value isn’t even equal to a cent […] there is no good in making him politically relevant by force.”

The PPP leader’s purpose, Asif claimed, was to seek attention. “This is his status and this is his credibility.” However, the minister added that the government will “definitely” retaliate and take action against him under the law and the Constitution.

The minister also said that he was quite aware of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s opinion about Aitzaz Ahsan.

‘No chance of early elections’
Meanwhile, in his reply to another question, Asif said that fresh elections would be held on time.

“Even for early elections, a decision will only be taken by the Shehbaz-led government and the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) coalition,” he said, emphasising that no decision will be taken on dictation.

“We have discretion […] the Constitution allows that elections can be held early. But there is no chance of it.”

Backing Asif’s stance, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that two of Pakistan’s provinces — Sindh and Balochistan — were facing a disastrous situation due to the floods.

“There is no point in holding general elections in those areas in the next six to eight months because we have challenges to restore normalcy there. Also, if someone calls for elections in those areas, the people will pelt them with stones,” he added.

DAWN
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My greatest worry is that apart from leading us to economic ruin &, with NRO2 for themselves, giving a license to white collar criminals to plunder the country, this govt will also end up completely compromising our national security.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1581202533233872897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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A contempt of court petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan over his recent remarks on the acquittals of the Sharif family in different cases, ARY News reported.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (R) Safdar had moved IHC against Aitzaz over his controversial remarks.

The petition stated that the PPP leader criticized the judiciary after courts acquitted Sharif family in different cases.

The applicant has pleaded with the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against veteran politician and senior lawyer and punish him according to the law.
 
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed a contempt petition filed against PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan by PML-N's Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar and said the remarks by Aitzaz were "unimportant".

Safdar had filed a petition against former PPP senator Aitzaz after he alleged that the establishment manipulated the acquittal of the Sharif family in the cases of corruption against them. Safdar, in his petition, had requested the IHC to initiate contempt proceedings.
 
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed a contempt petition filed against PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan by PML-N's Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar and said the remarks by Aitzaz were "unimportant".

Safdar had filed a petition against former PPP senator Aitzaz after he alleged that the establishment manipulated the acquittal of the Sharif family in the cases of corruption against them. Safdar, in his petition, had requested the IHC to initiate contempt proceedings.

So IHC are happy with these remarks while the khakis beat Azam swati to pulp for repeating the remarks of AA. Make sense of that in the banana Republic
 
May 9 events have broken people’s hearts: Hamza Shehbaz

PTI leader Hamza Shehbaz, while speaking to the media in Lahore, has said that Pakistan was indebted to the brave warriors who had lost their lives to protect the nation.

“The events of May 9 have broken the people’s hearts and this cannot happen that a few thousand people play with the rights of the people of this country,” he said.

He said that on May 9, Jinnah House was burned down while air bases in Mianwali and Sargodha were attacked.
 
Shoe hurled at Hamza Shehbaz during Lahore rally

A shoe was hurled on Saturday at Punjab’s former chief minister and PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz during a rally in NA-118 constituency, from where he is contesting election.

During the rally at Delhi Gate area of the old city, a young man hurled a shoe at Hamza, which hit his shoulder.

Immediately after the incident, the PML-N workers overpowered the man who hurled the shoe on their leader and gave him a sound thrashing before handing him over to police.

The police are investigating the matter.

Speaking on the occasion, Hamza said his party after coming into power would control inflation and price hike.

The country would progress and relief be provided to the people under the PML-N rule, he pledged.
 
Shoe hurled at Hamza Shehbaz during Lahore rally

A shoe was hurled on Saturday at Punjab’s former chief minister and PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz during a rally in NA-118 constituency, from where he is contesting election.

During the rally at Delhi Gate area of the old city, a young man hurled a shoe at Hamza, which hit his shoulder.

Immediately after the incident, the PML-N workers overpowered the man who hurled the shoe on their leader and gave him a sound thrashing before handing him over to police.

The police are investigating the matter.

Speaking on the occasion, Hamza said his party after coming into power would control inflation and price hike.

The country would progress and relief be provided to the people under the PML-N rule, he pledged.
Some people are so disrespectful.
 
Imran Khan has made our youth so badtameez that its so painful to watch.

They have zero tolerance for any opponent of Imran Khan.
 
Imran Khan has made our youth so badtameez that its so painful to watch.

They have zero tolerance for any opponent of Imran Khan.
The young people aren't the servants of criminals that you support, that is your job and you can do it with pleasure but PK has changed.
 
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Imran Khan has made our youth so badtameez that its so painful to watch.

They have zero tolerance for any opponent of Imran Khan.
In the 2 years since IK was overthrown by Establishment and the mafia can you give us some of the wonderful things you guys have done to promote human rights and tolerance? And at this point you run off for a few weeks
 
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Imran Khan has made our youth so badtameez that its so painful to watch.

They have zero tolerance for any opponent of Imran Khan.
And today your duffers are attacking PTI workers and stopping legitimate rallies as part of an election campaign. Crooked Nani wanted them to be dealt with an iron hand. And you talk about tolerance 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
And today your duffers are attacking PTI workers and stopping legitimate rallies as part of an election campaign. Crooked Nani wanted them to be dealt with an iron hand. And you talk about tolerance 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Who are you calling crooked nani? Learn to show some respect for our politicians who sweat it out in the heat helping the public.
 
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