Daily Times

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday approved a bail plea filed by Muhammad Mushtaq alias Cheeni, an alleged front-man of arrested Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz and his brother Salman Shahbaz, in a money laundering case. A bench consisting of Justice Ali Baqir Najfi and Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem presided over the hearing of his bail plea.

Reportedly, Cheeni told the court that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore had arrested him in an inquiry pertaining to a corruption case, and subsequently he had become an approver against Hamza and Salman.

Meanwhile, his defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant bail to his client following the fact that he had already told the investigation team about banking transactions related to the case in the recorded statement.

Cheeni recorded his confessional statement before a judicial magistrate in Lahore. On June 11, the NAB Lahore arrested Hamza Shahbaz in Ramzan Sugar Mills, money laundering and assets beyond means cases, as the LHC turned down his application for extension in his interim bail. On April 8, Cheeni, whose name had been put on the Exit Control List (ECL), was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) while attempting to flee to Dubai from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

He had gone underground after National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif was arrested and being investigated by the NAB.

On the other hand, an accountability court on Thursday extended PML-N leaders Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique’s judicial remand by 14 days in connection with the Paragon Housing scam case. The NAB presented Salman Rafique before the court as the Khawaja brothers’ 14-day judicial remand ended on Thursday. Saad Rafique, who was attending the budget session in the National Assembly, did not appear before the court. The court then extended the remand of the Khawaja brothers for 14 days and issued their summons for July 11. On December 11, the accountability watchdog arrested Saad Rafique and his brother after the LHC rejected their request for an extension in their pre-arrest bail in the case pertaining to the Paragon housing scheme.