LAHORE (HRNW): The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed a petition challenging the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, in a Rs 16 billion money laundering case. Chief Justice Miss Aalia Neelum declared the petition non-maintainable, upholding the Registrar Office’s objection regarding the petitioner’s legal standing.
Arguments Presented in Court
The petition, filed by Advocate Vishal Ahmed Shakir through senior lawyer Amir Saeed Raan, sought to overturn the decision of the Special Central Court which had cleared both leaders of all charges.
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Petitioner’s Stand: The counsel argued that Shehbaz Sharif secured a favorable decision within 15 days of becoming Prime Minister. He contended that the Special Central Court acquitted the accused even before the framing of charges, despite the prosecution having nearly 100 witnesses ready to testify. The counsel maintained that deciding such a high-stakes corruption case without allowing the prosecution to present evidence was a “miscarriage of justice.”
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Request for Nullification: The petitioner prayed to the court to declare the trial court’s acquittal order illegal and void.
Court’s Observations and Verdict
During the hearing, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum raised critical questions regarding the petitioner’s right to challenge the verdict:
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Status of the Aggrieved Party: The Chief Justice asked the counsel to explain how the petitioner qualified as an “aggrieved party” in this specific criminal matter. She remarked that anyone cannot simply walk into court years later to challenge a settled verdict.
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Public Interest vs. Criminal Law: The court clarified that this was not a “Public Interest Litigation” (PIL) where a third party could intervene. In criminal law, the right to appeal or challenge an acquittal typically rests with the state or the complainant.
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Significant Delay: The bench noted the considerable lapse of time since the acquittal was granted, questioning why the petitioner had approached the court so late.
Ultimately, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum upheld the Registrar Office’s objection—that the petitioner was not a party to the original case—and dismissed the application as non-maintainable.
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