Money laundering case: IHC bars authorities from arresting Suleman Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday barred the authorities from arresting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz in a money laundering case.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan heard the petition moved by Suleman through advocate Amjad Pervaiz, seeking two weeks’ protective bail in the money laundering case.

The IHC bench directed Suleman to surrender before the court on December 13 and barred authorities from arresting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son till then.

While issuing the directives, the court also asked the authorities not to arrest the petitioner at the airport. During the hearing, Suleman’s lawyer Pervaiz informed that his client is abroad since October 2018 and all the cases were registered after that.

However, the court asked the lawyer that it cannot grant bail in absence of the petitioner. At this, Pervaiz urged the bench to stop the authorities from arresting his client, adding that his client will reach Islamabad on December 11. He also shared Suleman Shehbaz’s air ticket with the court.

The court accepted the lawyer’s request and directed Suleman to appear before the bench on December 13 and barred the authorities from arresting the Prime Minister’s son on his arrival.

Suleman has stated in the petition that he is a “businessman” and has never been a public officeholder. He also maintained that a “baseless” and “false case of money laundering” has been filed against him.

He also claimed that all shares remain registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and that he had never received a notice from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The petitioner stated, “I have been residing in the United Kingdom since 2018.” He maintained that the FIA filed a case against him in his absence. “Despite the fact I had been living in the UK since October 27th, 2018, I had never received a notice from the FIA, who had filed a case against me while I was away. I left the country in 2018, but the case was only lodged in 2020 and afterwards.” Therefore, he requested the court to grant him protective bail for two weeks.

According to the petition, “Suleman was the target of political retaliation and he now wants to show up and demonstrate his innocence.”

Suleman who was declared an absconder in a money laundering case and is staying in London, has requested the court to grant him protective bail as he wants to return to Pakistan to appear before the court in the case against him.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022