AP

Pakistan PM’s son returns from exile to face graft charges

Dec 10, 2022, 9:26 AM | Updated: 11:57 pm

FILE - Pakistan's opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif speaks during a news conference after the Suprem...

FILE - Pakistan's opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif speaks during a news conference after the Supreme Court decision, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 7, 2022. A son of now Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif returned home Sunday, Dec. 11, after four years in London to face corruption charges that were filed against him in 2020. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

(AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A son of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif returned home Sunday after four years in London to face corruption charges that were filed against him in 2020.

Suleman Shahbaz reached Islamabad early Sunday and then took a flight to his hometown of Lahore after meeting with his father at the prime minister’s residence, said Ata Tarar, a spokesman for Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party.

Suleman Shahbaz’s lawyers obtained protective bail for him from the Islamabad High Court last week that will be in effect until Tuesday. It bars federal investigators from arresting him until then so that he can surrender before the trial court.

The Federal Investigation Agency in Lahore charged Sharif and his two sons, Hamza and Suleman, with corruption and money laundering in November 2020. Suleman had flown to London ahead of the 2018 general elections when the country’s main anti-graft body registered several cases against him.

Sharif and Hamza were acquitted of the charges by a court in October but Suleman was never tried after he moved to London. The FIA accused the three men of laundering 16.3 billion rupees (nearly $200 million) between 2008 and 2018.

In Pakistan, members of successive governments have targeted political opponents by filing legal cases against them, apparently to keep them entangled in court proceedings and away from the political arena.

Sharif, the brother of disgraced former premier Nawaz Sharif, was elected prime minister by Pakistan’s parliament earlier this year, following a week of political turmoil that led to Imran Khan’s ouster through a no- confidence motion in parliament.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

18 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

19 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

19 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Pakistan PM’s son returns from exile to face graft charges