National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused the PML-Q leaders – Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain – of committing money laundering, accumulating illegal assets, and abuse of powers.
DAWN reported that the anti-graft body levelled these accusations, in a reply, submitted to Lahore High Court (LHC) in connection with a joint petition of the Chaudhry brothers challenging three 20-year-old inquiries against them by the NAB.
The bureau said an investigation conducted so far revealed that Pervez Elahi during his tenure as local government minister from 1988 to 1993, had illegally appointed 29 people. The bureau representative further stated that Pervaiz Elahi used his official letter head to hire these people.
It said that the wealth of Pervez Elahi and his family rose to Rs4.069bn from 1985 to 2018 and their shareholding increased to Rs3bn from 1985 to 2019, while the family acquired properties worth over Rs250m.
It alleged that foreign remittances of Rs978m had been received in the bank accounts operated by the family members of Elahi since 2004.
Highlighting the wealth of Shujaat Hussain and his family, NAB said that it increased to Rs2.556 billion between 1985 and 2018. Their shareholding also increased to over Rs500 million from around Rs2m in 1985. “Hussain’s family has also acquired properties worth more than Rs123m and his two sons namely Shafay Hussain and Salik Hussain have given loan amounting to Rs1.5bn to different companies owned by them.”
The accountability bureau requested the court to dismiss the petition of the PML-Q leaders for being ‘devoid’ of any merits.
In reaction to NAB’s reply, a spokesman for Chaudhry brothers said that the institution of NAB was being used for ‘political engineering’ and old cases against them were being repeatedly opened and closed. “If rehearing a 20-year-old case is not political engineering then what it is?” the spokesman wondered.
DAWN reported that the anti-graft body levelled these accusations, in a reply, submitted to Lahore High Court (LHC) in connection with a joint petition of the Chaudhry brothers challenging three 20-year-old inquiries against them by the NAB.
The bureau said an investigation conducted so far revealed that Pervez Elahi during his tenure as local government minister from 1988 to 1993, had illegally appointed 29 people. The bureau representative further stated that Pervaiz Elahi used his official letter head to hire these people.
It said that the wealth of Pervez Elahi and his family rose to Rs4.069bn from 1985 to 2018 and their shareholding increased to Rs3bn from 1985 to 2019, while the family acquired properties worth over Rs250m.
It alleged that foreign remittances of Rs978m had been received in the bank accounts operated by the family members of Elahi since 2004.
Highlighting the wealth of Shujaat Hussain and his family, NAB said that it increased to Rs2.556 billion between 1985 and 2018. Their shareholding also increased to over Rs500 million from around Rs2m in 1985. “Hussain’s family has also acquired properties worth more than Rs123m and his two sons namely Shafay Hussain and Salik Hussain have given loan amounting to Rs1.5bn to different companies owned by them.”
The accountability bureau requested the court to dismiss the petition of the PML-Q leaders for being ‘devoid’ of any merits.
In reaction to NAB’s reply, a spokesman for Chaudhry brothers said that the institution of NAB was being used for ‘political engineering’ and old cases against them were being repeatedly opened and closed. “If rehearing a 20-year-old case is not political engineering then what it is?” the spokesman wondered.