Corruption, money laundering: NAB move for reopening of three references against Sharifs

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed an application in the Accountability Court, Rawalpindi, for re-opening of three corruption and money laundering references against former prime minister and Quaid of Pakistan Muslim League-N Mian Nawaz Sharif, and Punjab Chief Minister and PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif.
The references had been pending in the Accountability Court, Rawalpindi, for a long time and after February 18 general elections, the NAB pleaded for extensions of the date of hearing in the Accountability Courts. On Tuesday, NAB Prosecutor General submitted an application for re-opening the references against old coalition partners of the Pakistan People's Party.
PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq condemned the move, saying that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was, once again indulging in the politics of confrontation and victimisation. Talking to Business Recorder, the PML-N spokesman said: "We are not yet aware of the contents of the application, filed by the NAB, but it is clear that PPP and Asif Zardari are behind this move to push the PML-N leadership to the wall.
"Let's see what they will bring out of their bag of tricks after submitting this application in the Accountability Court", Siddiqul Farooq said, adding that the representative lawyers would respond in the court. He said that these were fabricated cases filed by a dictator and PPP was using these references for its political gain.
Meanwhile, Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman, when asked by media outside Parliament House, about reopening of the NAB cases against Nawaz Sharif, said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government did not believe in politics of victimisation and it had no intention of doing so against any individual.
She said the Prime Minister had already stated in the Parliament that the institution of NAB was used for political victimisation and the PPP government was taking measures to wind it up.
It is pertinent to note that on July 31, the Deputy Prosecutor General of NAB Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta and Special Prosecutor Arif Ali Zafar pleaded before the Accountability Court to issue summons for Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif for their personal appearance in the court in three references of corruption, money laundering and misuse of power in Hudebia Paper Mills, Ittefaq Foundry and Riawind Real Estate.
The NAB prosecutors pleaded that summons were issued to Sharif brothers, asking to appear before the court on July 25, 2007, but they were living abroad and could not appear in the court. "Now Sharif brothers are in Pakistan, the NAB thought it time to summon them to appear in the court."