Shahbaz Sharif money laundering case: Imran's friend helped PML-N chief to buy UK Properties

Court papers related to the National Crime Agency's money-laundering investigation into PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif and his son Suleman Sharif have revealed that Aneel Mussarat, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) donor and a friend of Prime Minister Imran Khan, bought a property in London on behalf of Sharif and also helped him buy two others while they were close friends, according to a media report.

Lawyers of the PML-N chief told the NCA that Mussarat purchased Flat 2, 30 Upper Berkeley Street, London, in 2005 on behalf of their client. The NCA was also told that Mussarat bought the Berkeley Street property in an auction for Sharif and made the payment in order to meet the strict time limits that apply in the case of an auctioned property, reported The News International.

According to the Pakistani publication, the agency was acting on the suspicions that both Zulfikar Ahmed and Aneel Mussarat were front men for Sharifs' money laundering scheme.

The NCA had alleged that Shehbaz sold his flat and shifted money to Suleman's account, which represented money-laundering and criminal misconduct in public office as it was believed that, based on ARU's allegations, the funds in the UK were proceeds of criminal conduct in Pakistan by the Sharifs.

Mussarat deposited euro 2,35,000 on April 20, 2005, for Shehbaz Sharif and also gave a loan to him of euro 59,993, said Sharif's lawyers.

Asma Dar, a niece of Shehbaz Sharif, through a business based in UAE, paid an amount of euro 59,993 on June 13, 2005.

NCA was also told that euro 60,000 was paid to Aneel Mussarat's Letting Account by way of partial repayment. On June 2, 2005, Sharif received euro 160,000 from Barclays and repaid euro 155,007 to Aneel Mussarat, the lawyer told the NCA, also attaching the evidence, according to The News International.

Mussarat made a payment of euro 40,000 in 2007 for the purchases of Shehbaz Sharif's Richbourne Court flat on Edgware Road, which is currently under the use of Suleman and his family.

(ANI)