LAHORE: An accountability court in the provincial capital on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz in a money laundering case.

The two leaders had sought acquittal in the reference which was filed in August 2020. The court accepted the prime minister and his son's plea for acquittal in the Rs7 billion money laundering case.

The court also acquitted Nusrat Shehbaz (PM's wife), Javeria Ali (PM's daughter), Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed and Nisar Ahmed.

The court issued a perpetual arrest warrant for PM Shehbaz's daughter Rabia Imran who had been declared absconder in the case. The family said the NAB failed to present any evidence against them. Later, the NAB investigators confirmed that no evidence was found.

While announcing the verdict reserved earlier this month, the court said it had no other choice except to acquit the accused as NAB had said it did not have anything against them.

The anti-graft watchdog had filed the reference in August 2020 when Shehbaz Sharif was the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. He was arrested by NAB after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail in the case on Sept 29.

An accountability court indicted the prime minister, his son Hamza and other accused after on Nov 11. Shehbaz was released on bail in April 2021.