Pak PM’s fugitive son Suleman Shahbaz returned from London, will surrender on this day
Islamabad. Sulaiman Shahbaz, the fugitive son of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, returned to his homeland early on Sunday to face corruption charges. He had been living in London for about four years. Suleman was living in London after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed cases against him and his family ahead of the 2018 general elections.
He joined the investigation for a few days, but then went to London. The Islamabad High Court, while hearing a petition by Suleman a few days back, had restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the NAB from arresting him in the money laundering case. The court had directed him to surrender before December 13.
The Pakistan Muslim League (N) shared a video on its official Twitter account of Suleman returning home and meeting and hugging his father. Suleman had said in a statement before his return that he was forced to leave Pakistan for his safety after “fake” cases were filed against him and his family for helping build the new dispensation.
He termed these cases as worst examples of political harassment. The FIA had registered a case against Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza and Sulaiman in November 2020 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act. An arrest warrant was issued against Suleman.
However, in its report submitted to the court, the FIA had said that the warrant could not be executed as Suleman was not present at his address and had gone abroad. The trial court had also declared Suleiman and another suspect as proclaimed offenders in the Rs 16 billion money laundering case in July this year.
