The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday cleared Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Rs 16 billion money laundering case.
Suleman was booked in the FIA-registered corruption case after returning to Pakistan earlier in December following four years of self-exile in London. The case had already resulted in the acquittal of his father PM Shehbaz and brother Hamza Shahbaz.
A Lahore special court granted Suleman temporary release from custody in the money laundering case in exchange for bail bonds of Rs 100,000 on December 23, 2022. Suleman had requested bail and argued that the court must follow all legal requirements before deeming him an evader.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had prevented the FIA from arresting him before he departed from Pakistan.
Suleman and co-accused Tahir Naqvi were “not found guilty,” according to the investigating agency’s additional challan, which was presented during today’s hearing at the special court (central).
Suleman was appearing in court to seek a pre-arrest bail plea.
Suleman and Naqvi, however, wanted to withdraw their earlier-filed bail applications, lawyer Amjad Parvez told the court during the hearing.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry responded to the development by claiming that the “sole purpose” of the current administration is to end the cases brought against its members.
Speaking on a private channel, Fawad asserted that the government’s “single goal” since taking office has been to resolve its cases. Suleman receiving the “clean chit” is “also linked,” he insisted.
Fawad claimed that PTI would appeal the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the innocence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, Prime Minister Shehbaz, and others in several instances.
