NAB to contact Interpol for bringing back Shahbaz's son.

ISLAMABAD -- The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to seek the help of Interpol (International Police) to bring back Suleman Shahbaz, the son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, from the United Kingdom as he has been declared a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case against the Sharif family.

A spokesman for NAB said in a brief statement here on Sunday that an accountability court in Lahore had already issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Suleman Shahbaz. He said the anti-graft watchdog had also decided to request the UK's National Crime Agency to provide all possible assistance in deportation of Suleman Shahbaz from London as per law.

In October last year, accountability court judge Ameer Mohammad Khan had declared Suleman Shahbaz a proclaimed offender and issued his fresh non-bailable warrants on NAB's request after the bureau informed the court that all of Suleman's properties had already been seized as per the court's earlier order.

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During the hearing, Advocate Hafiz Asadullah Awan had, on behalf of NAB, contended that Suleman had not appeared before the accountability watchdog despite issuance of six call-up notices. He said Suleman had fled the country [to avoid NAB proceedings against him].

Submitting details of Suleman's properties, NAB informed the court that the bureau had seized the suspect's shares amounting to Rs2 billion in 16 companies.

According to a NAB report, it also seized cash worth Rs4.1 million held in three bank accounts as well as $4,000 in two different bank accounts of Suleman Shahbaz. Besides, NAB also seized 10 marlas agricultural land and pieces of land spreading over 209 kanals owned by Suleman.

NAB alleged that assets worth Rs3.3 billion had been identified so far as illegally accumulated by Suleman, his brother Hamza Shahbaz and their father Shahbaz Sharif. It said the whole family committed massive money laundering in the name of foreign remittances and loans.

In 2018, Suleman had appeared before NAB Lahore regarding the provision of record of his family's property. However, he later skipped several hearings of NAB and left the country.

Speaking at a news conference last month, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz had accused Suleman Shahbaz of being the central figure in the mega sugar scandal and...