The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday submitted a detailed nine-page reply in the Lahore High Court in a case of power abuse, accumulating illegal assets and money-laundering against PML-Q stalwart Ch Pervaiz Elahi.
The NAB informed the Lahore High Court that the PML-Q leaders including Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi committed money laundering besides accumulating illegal assets.
The anti-graft authority submitted the reply in connection with a joint petition of the Chaudhry brothers challenging three 20-year-old inquiries against them by the anti-corruption body.
NAB, in its 9-page reply, pleaded the court to dismiss the petitions as the investigations were being conducted in accordance with the law.
Commenting on the money-laundering case, a spokesperson for the Chaurdhrys of Gujrat said that NAB, as institution, is being utilized for “political engineering”, adding that all these cases are decades old and every regime attempted to twist arms of the Chaudhrys by reopening these cases. He claimed that NAB failed to mention any asset in its reply, which it deems accumulate beyond means. He said that NAB also failed to pinpoint power abuse, corruption and kickback in its report. He said that Chaudhrys have nothing to worry about as they know they never commit any corruption and misappropriation.
It is worth-mentioning the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had accused PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his cousin Chaudhry Pervez Elahi of accumulating illegal assets and money laundering, in a reply submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday.
NAB alleged that the shareholding of petitioner Shujaat and his family has increased to Rs500mn in 2019 from Rs2mn in 1985. Further, the family of Ch Shujaat Hussain has acquired properties worth more than Rs130 million. The PML-Q chief’s two sons, namely Shafey Hussain and Salik Hussain, have given a loan amounting to Rs1.5bn to different companies owned by them.
Moreover, Shujaat allegedly received foreign remittances of Rs581mn in his bank account since 2004. NAB said that five remitters joined the investigation and denied sending remittances, the reply said.
The shareholding of Ch Pervez Elahi and his family members has increased to Rs3bn from 1985 to 2019. Further, the family of Pervez Elahi has acquired properties worth more than 250 million. Moreover, foreign remittance of Rs 978 million were received in the bank accounts of the family of Pervez Elahi since 2004.
So far three remitters have joined investigation proceedings and denied sending any remittances, which prima facie established that the accused used fake identities to route unexplained money from foreign countries to Pakistan, the reply added.
Elahi has also been accused of making illegal appointments in the Local Government Board when he was the chief minister of Punjab. The bureau said the inquiries of illegal assets and misuse of authority were never approved for closure by the competent authority and the investigation is being held strictly in accordance with the law.
However, it said a third inquiry of willful default was approved for closure by the authority in 2017 for lack of evidence. The NAB asked the court to dismiss the petition of the Chaudhry brothers.\\\\
