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Pak opposition leader arrested in money laundering case after court rejects bail

WION Web Team
Islamabad, PakistanUpdated: Sep 28, 2020, 06:32 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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The Pakistan government had filed a Rs 7 billion (USD 41.9 million) money laundering case against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) president and his family.

Pakistani anti-corruption officials arrested the country's opposition leader on Monday, days after he vowed to help lead efforts to dislodge Prime Minister Imran Khan's government.

Shahbaz Sharif -- who heads the opposition in the country's National Assembly -- was arrested in Lahore after the eastern city's high court rejected a bail plea in a money-laundering case.

The Pakistan government had filed a Rs 7 billion (USD 41.9 million) money laundering case against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) president and his family.

Shehbaz was taken into custody from the court's premises.

To this end, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, said in a tweet: "Make no mistake. Shehbaz Sharif has been arrested ONLY because he REFUSED to play in the hands of those who wanted to use him against his brother. He preferred standing behind prison bars than to stand against his brother."

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Shehbaz is the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif. He served as chief minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2018.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Shahzad Akbar on Wednesday said that Shehbaz and his sons Hamza and Salman were involved in money laundering through fake accounts, but he always pretended to have nothing to do with their businesses, the Dawn newspaper had reported.

About Rs 9.5 billion was laundered through fake companies and Ramazan Sugar Mills whose employees’ salaries were in thousands of rupees but billions went through their bank accounts, he said.

Akbar said that Shahbaz should explain the organised money laundering network that was run by his children between 2008 and 2018.

(with inputs)