Court stops NAB from arresting Hamza Shehbaz
Team says it won’t leave till he is arrested
A team of Pakistan’s accountability bureau arrived on Saturday at the Lahore residence of Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif to arrest his son. NAB had tried to arrest him on Friday too.
The team, comprising seven to eight, brought a magistrate and police with it too. The area has been cordoned off and a heavy contingent of police officers has been deployed in Model Town. Anti-riot police have been deployed too.
The accountability court has ordered NAB to arrest Hamza too.
Related: NAB raids Shehbaz Sharif’s Lahore residence: PML-N
NAB has been investigating Shehbaz and his sons for owning more assets than their known sources of income. It raided Shehbaz’s Model Town residence on Friday afternoon and left after an hour.
PML-N workers have gathered outside the house and are trying to reach the house. Some even pushed the police officers to get in.
‘Wont leave till Hamza is arrested’
NAB Deputy Director Chaudhry Asghar said that the team will not leave till Hamza is arrested. “We have all the evidence now and an arrest warrant.” He said that the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly is accused of money laundering. “Hamza Shehbaz is hiding in the basement.”
He said that Hamza is a politician. He shouldn’t hide behind walls or party workers. “He is so afraid of getting arrested,” he remarked.
Related: Hamza Shehbaz is hiding in the basement: NAB official
NAB team hasn’t been allowed to go in and conduct our investigation. “I have just come here to execute a legal order.”
The PML-N leader has been accused of money laundering and other crimes, he said.
PML-N reacts
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told SAMAA TV that this is illegal and it shouldn’t be allowed to continue.
Related: NAB raid made me feel like a ‘terrorist’: Hamza Shehbaz
“If they have strong evidence then why aren’t they telling us?” She said that all PML-N leaders have appeared before NAB whenever they have been summoned. “What do they want?”
Malik Muhammad Ahmed, another PML-N leader, said that the raid is politically motivated. He remarked NAB doesn’t have the right to arrest Hamza Shehbaz as he has the high courts orders with him.
On November 21, 2018 the Lahore High Court had directed NAB to provide Hamza 10 days to approach the appropriate legal forum if his arrest warrants are issued.
In another order, the Supreme Court overturned the LHC’s verdict and ruled that NAB no longer needs to tell people in advance about their arrests. An examination of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, revealed that NAB can arrest any person without informing them, the court said.
This is a developing story.
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Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/04/nab-reaches-shehbaz-sharifs-lahore-house-once-again/