The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif again on June 2 in an investigation pertaining to alleged money laundering.
The former Punjab chief minister appeared before the accountability watchdog on Monday to respond to the questions related to the investigation. According to NAB officials, the PML-N president was questioned for two hours. The NAB alleged that the PML-N leader did not give ‘satisfactory’ answers during the investigation.
Earlier, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb had confirmed that former Punjab chief minister and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif will appear before the authority. “Shehbaz Sharif will present himself before NAB despite the dangers of the coronavirus,” Aurangzeb told the media early on Monday. “Doctors have advised Sharif not to endanger himself by venturing outside amid the virus epidemic,” she told reporters gathered in the provincial capital. “Shehbaz Sharif respects the law and will accordingly present himself before the bureau authorities,” she added.
NAB had summoned Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the opposition leader in the National Assembly, for a third time in an investigation related to alleged money laundering. “We had earlier requested that the hearing be postponed in light of the virus epidemic and the life of Shehbaz Sharif should not be put in danger because of this investigation. All information related to the case has already been provided to NAB,” she noted.
Earlier, the NAB had summoned Shehbaz twice in the said case but he didn’t appear before the bureau. On April 22, Sharif had submitted his written reply, but the NAB considered it dissatisfactory and had asked him to appear in person before the NAB on May 4.
NAB had officially warned Shehbaz that a legal action will be taken against him if he didn’t appear before the bureau’s investigators on April 22 in the alleged money laundering investigation against him and his family members. The bureau had assured him that all social distancing measures will be adopted and investigators will only ask questions related to the alleged money laundering from a safe distance when he would present himself before the bureau for questioning.
Before that, Shehbaz had skipped appearance in money laundering investigations, fearing that coronavirus could affect him as he was a 69-year-old cancer survivor and medical professionals had advised him to restrict his movement due to life-threatening risks.
