In court hearing, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif calls himself a ‘majnoo’

Sharif, who is an accused in a money laundering case, also said, among other things, he did not take salary or benefits during his stints as chief minister of Punjab.

Published on: May 28, 2022, 14:47:43 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday called himself a ‘majnoo’ as he, along with his son, Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz, testified in a special court hearing in connection with a PKR 16 billion (2.6 PKR=1 INR) money laundering case against him and his sons, Hamza and Suleman, the latter of whom resides in the UK.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (File Photo/AFP)

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“I have not taken anything from the government in 12.5 years. As chief minister, I used to get the government car refuelled from my own pocket,” the PML-N leader, who served three stints as Punjab CM, said, according to Dawn.

The 70-year-old further said, “God has made me the prime minister of this country. I am a majnoo, and I did not take my legal right, my salary and benefits.”

‘Majnoo’ is an Urdu word that means an insane or foolish person.

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Sharif, meanwhile, further remarked that due to his various decisions, his family lost around PKR 2 billion, adding that this was a 'reality.'

Arguing for the Sharifs, their counsel said the money laundering case against his clients, filed in November 2020 during the premiership of Imran Khan, was ‘politically motivated.’ The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked the father and sons under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In its investigation, the FIA detected 28 benami accounts, allegedly belonging to the family. Through these accounts, an amount of PKR 16.3 billion was laundered from 2008 to 2018, the federal agency claimed. Kept in ‘hidden accounts,’ the money was given to Shehbaz in his ‘personal’ capacity, it also charged.

(With PTI inputs)

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