A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted a two-week protective bail to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s youngest son Suleman in a money laundering case.
Suleman Shehbaz, 40, who returned to Pakistan last week after remaining in self-exile in London for four years, appeared before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The court, after hearing the plea by his lawyer, granted 14-day protective bail to him, preventing Suleman’s arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Earlier, the IHC had barred FIA from arresting Suleman upon his arrival in Pakistan and ordered him to surrender before the authorities by December 13.
Suleman had gone abroad in October 2018, after which a case of money laundering was filed against him by the FIA. He then continued to live in the UK in self-imposed exile.
The protective bail granted by the IHC would save him from arrest in the money laundering case. He was accused of absenteeism in the case.
In his petition before the IHC, Suleman’s lawyer contended that he left Pakistan in 2018 and the case was registered against him in 2020. He also shared that the FIA had not issued a call-up notice to him, adding that he was declared a proclaimed offender by the court without any action.
Later in the day, Suleman appeared before a divisional bench of IHC to seek bail in the assets beyond means case.
After hearing arguments, the bench approved a 14-day protective bail in the case and directed the accountability watchdog not to arrest him.
It was another relief granted to the leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) by the judiciary in recent days. Last week, a special court in Lahore acquitted interior minister Rana Sanaullah and five others in a narcotics case registered against them in 2019.
In October, Prime Minister Shehbaz and his elder son Hamza were acquitted in a Rs 16 billion money laundering case.