Pakistan court defers till April 27 indictment of Shehbaz and his son Hamza in money laundering case

Lahore, April 11

A Pakistani court on Monday deferred until April 27 the indictment of joint Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in a high-profile money laundering case and also extended their pre-arrest bail till the same day, allowing the PML-N president to become the new prime minister.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) special court on Monday accepted Shehbaz’s application seeking exemption from personal appearance in court in the money laundering proceedings for one day, and extended the pre-arrest bail of the father and son for April 27 on their request, a court official told PTI after the proceedings.

Shehbaz Sharif is in Islamabad to contest the election for the prime minister’s post after Imran Khan was ousted after he lost a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly on Sunday.

Sharif, 70, is set to become Pakistan’s prime minister as the joint Opposition has required numbers in Parliament. Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has nominated Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the top slot.