ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday denied withdrawing a high-profile money laundering case against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying its proceedings were still continuing and the next day of hearing was May 14.
According to news reports based on court documents, the country’s top investigation agency said on Wednesday it did not want to pursue the Rs16 billion money laundering case against Sharif and his two sons three days before the special court in Lahore was scheduled to frame charges against them.
Sharif, who became prime minister last month after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament, is the president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
Sharif, his sons Hamza, who is the chief minister of Punjab province, and Suleman, who resides in London, were booked by FIA in November 2020 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Anti Money Laundering Act.
According to a written application submitted in court on Wednesday, the FIA director general (DG), via the investigating officer, told Special Prosecutor Sikander Zulqarnain Saleem not to appear in court as the “accused in the case are going to be elected the prime minister of Pakistan and chief minister of Punjab.”
“A fake news is circulating in media regarding withdrawal of the case against political leaders of a party in Lahore,” the FIA said in a statement. “The case has not been withdrawn. Proceedings are continuing in the Court. Next date of hearing is 14-05-2022.”
The statement said the prosecutor of the case submitted his “opinion-based application” in the court after he was instructed not to appear on behalf of prosecution.
“It was not a withdrawal application anyway,” it added.
The FIA said the document was submitted on April 11 when the new prime minister had not even taken oath.
“Change of prosecutor is a routine matter,” it continued. “In the time of previous government too, prosecutor was changed several times in this very case.”
Threatening to “legally proceed against the persons involved in spreading this fake news,” the FIA said “fake news may not be spread in this matter.”
The Sharifs have always said the cases against them are politically motivated and driven by now ex-PM Khan who won power in 2018 vowing to root out corruption among what he cast as a venal political elite.
While few dispute the need to clean up Pakistani politics, the anti-graft campaign by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the last three and a half years has become a topic of fierce political debate, with many saying its focus was just on the government’s political foes.
The Khan government denied targeting political opponents.
