Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza had been accused of laundering tens of millions of {dollars} in rupees.
A Pakistani courtroom has acquitted Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his son of corruption and cash laundering costs filed in 2020.
Choose Ijaz Hassan Awan of the Particular Court docket Central in Lahore metropolis introduced the decision on Wednesday in entrance of the prime minister’s authorized group, who had earlier in the course of the listening to requested a one-day attendance exemption.
Sharif and his son Hamza, the previous chief minister of Punjab province, had been charged in the course of the administration of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. They had been accused of laundering tens of millions of {dollars} in rupees.
The Federal Investigation Company (FIA) in Lahore filed corruption and cash laundering costs in opposition to Sharif and his two sons, Hamza and Suleman, in November 2020, accusing them of laundering 16.3 billion rupees (almost $200m) by means of 28 financial institution accounts, which had no names for the account holders, between 2008 and 2018.
Suleman has not been tried since transferring to London after the fees had been filed.
The case in Particular Court docket in Lahore was “completely baseless and politically motivated”, mentioned Sharif’s lawyer Amjad Pervez.
There was no rapid remark from the prosecutor.
In Pakistan, members of successive governments have focused political opponents by submitting authorized instances in opposition to them, apparently to maintain them entangled in courtroom proceedings and away from the political area.
Sharif, the brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was elected prime minister by Pakistan’s parliament earlier this 12 months, following per week of political turmoil that led to Khan’s elimination.
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