A special court in Lahore has summoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on September 7 to frame charges in the Rs16 billion money laundering case, Aaj News reported.

During the case hearing on Saturday, the lawyers of the two PML-N leaders sought one-time exemption from appearance on their behalf. Amjad Pervaiz, representing the premier, informed the court that Shehbaz was advised against travelling as he was not well.

Meanwhile, Hamza’s lawyer Rao Aurangzeb said that the former Punjab CM was suffering from severe back pain.

Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) Prosecutor Farooq Bajwa said the FIA had no objections to accepting the exemption applications.

The agency had previously said it was not interested in pursuing the case against Shehbaz, after he became the prime minister, and his son Hamza Shehbaz.

Both Shehbaz and Hamza have obtained pre-arrest bails.

The hearing has been adjourned till September 7.

Background

Last year, the FIA had submitted a challan in a banking court against Shehbaz and his two sons, Hamza and Salman, citing them as the main suspects in a money laundering case.

The investigation team had found 28 Benami accounts that were operated under Shehbaz and his household staff members’ names from 2008 to 2018 — while the opposition leader was chief minister and Hamza was a member of the National Assembly.