Pak's anti-graft body approves filing of 2 more corruption references against former PM Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan's anti-graft agency has approved the filing of two additional corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the accountability court.

The National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) regional board, under the chairmanship of its Director General Shahzad Saleem, convened here on Friday.

The board discussed the additional corruption references against 69-year-old Nawaz, his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, daughter Maryam Nawaz and 13 others in money laundering and possession of assets beyond known sources of income investigations.

Similarly, the board has also approved filing another reference against Nawaz Sharif, Geo Media Group founder Mir Shakilur Rahman and two others in a 54-kanal land case.

NAB-Lahore has forwarded both references to its chairman justice (R) Javed Iqbal for his final approval before filing it in the accountability court.

The references against the Sharif family members in the two cases will be filed in the accountability court, Lahore, next week after the approval of the NAB chairman, an official told PTI.

In the money laundering and income beyond means corruption reference, the Sharif family is accused of swindling 7 billion Pakistani Rupees.

Nawaz, Shahbaz and Maryam have been declared prime suspects in this case," the official said, adding that the NAB will produce 100 prosecution witnesses against the suspects.

In the other corruption reference, the three-time prime minister is accused of misuse of authority in allotting land along the Lahore canal to Shakilur Rahman in violation of rules in 1986. Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab at the time.

Under the Lahore Development Authority exemption policy, not more than 15 plots measuring one kanal each could be exempted to Rahman.

The NAB has made 16 prosecution witnesses part of this reference