LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday arrested a ‘‘key frontman’’ of Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz and his brother Salman Shahbaz who allegedly laundered over Rs500 million abroad at their behest.

Referring to the arrest of Mohammad Mushtaq, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said it believed that the arrest would strengthen its case against both sons of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif. According to NAB, it had the record of the money laundering transactions of over Rs500 million sent by Mushtaq to the accounts of Salman Shahbaz abroad.

A spokesman for the Sharif family disowned suspect Mushtaq, saying he was neither an employee of the Ramzan Sugar Mills nor remained associated with the family.

An FIA official told Dawn that Mushtaq was to leave for Dubai. But during immigration at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, his name appeared on the Exit Control List (ECL).

NAB believes arrest will boost its case against Hamza, Salman

“The FIA off-loaded him and informed Lahore NAB on whose request his name had been placed on the ECL by the interior ministry,” the official said. A NAB team reached the airport and took Mushtaq into custody. He will be produced before an accountability court for physical remand.

“Key suspect Mohammad Mushtaq aided and connived with the Shahbaz Sharif family in money laundering. He transferred over Rs500 million to Salman Shahbaz’s accounts abroad,” NAB said in a statement.

An official source said that Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Sharif would be confronted during their appearance before the combined investigation teams of the Lahore NAB on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, with evidence of money laundering against them.

“They may also be confronted with suspect Mushtaq,” he said and added that the bureau had also detected 28 bank accounts of the Shahbaz Sharif family. Salman Shahbaz had gone to London last year after his lone appearance before NAB in connection with the assets beyond means investigation.

“Shahbaz Sharif had told NAB investigators that his business matters were handled by Salman Shahbaz. When Salman was asked, he said he would provide a complete detail of his father’s business matters but left for London to evade the NAB investigation,” the official said.

Shahbaz’s son-in-law Imran Ali Yousuf, who is wanted in the Saaf Pani Company scam, is also in the United Kingdom.

Last week, NAB also arrested Qasim Qayum and Afzal Dad Abbasi on charges of allegedly laundering illegal wealth of Hamza and Salman to other countries.

Published in Dawn, April 09th, 2019