Nawaz Sharif’s nephew Hamza released from jail on bail in money laundering case

Pakistan's deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s nephew and leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz, was released from jail on bail on Saturday after spending 20 months in connection with a money laundering case against him.

Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz reached the Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail to receive Hamza and both led a rally of the PML-N workers from the jail to his home.

The Lahore High Court has granted bail to Hamza, son of PML-N president and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, in the money-laundering case.

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Hamza had sought bail primarily on the ground of “inordinate delay” in conclusion of the trial proceedings after the Supreme Court denied him the relief with a direction to approach the high court with fresh grounds.

Opposing the bail, NAB Prosecutor Faisal Raza Bokhari argued at length and said the ground of delay or hardship was not attracted in the case of the petitioner.

He said Hamza was involved in a huge amount of PKR7 billion money landing case as many suspected transactions directly made in his (Hamza) bank accounts.

He also equated the case of Hamza with the conditions of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), saying the meetings of the international forum would be significant on the question of money laundering. Hamza’s father Shahbaz Sharif has also been languishing in the Kot Lakhpat jail for the last several months. He, however, is yet to file his post-arrest bail petition in this case.

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Speaking at the rally, Hamza blamed Prime Minister Imran Khan for keeping him in jail in a fake case.

“Arrogant Imran Khan is indulged in political victimisation of the opposition especially the Sharif family. This man is now taking revenge from 220 million people by making their lives miserable through price hike and inflation,” he said, adding this time Khan was selected through massive rigging but he will be thrown out of power soon.

PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, in a tweet said, "PML-N leaders have been the targets of Prime Minister Imran Khan's vendetta but their resolve has grown stronger."