UK court says NCA file into Shehbaz Sharif money-laundering probe can be released

A UK court has said that National Crime Agency's full file into Shehbaz Sharif and Suleman Sharif money-laundering probe can be released to the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) of Pakistan, according to The News International.

District Judge Godfrey ruled on an application by the ARU at the Westminster Magistrates' Court that it needs access to the full file of the UK's National Crime Agency money-laundering investigation into Shehbaz Sharif.

The full file, when released soon, will further corroborate the story published on The News and Geo, the report said.

District Judge Godfrey ruled that it was in the interest of open justice that the full file should be released, it added.

ARU was involved in extensive cooperation with NCA's investigators several months prior to the start of the investigation in December 2019 and up to the closure of the case in November 2021.

The judge has ruled that it was reasonable to release the full NCA file but he ordered that Sharifs, Zulfikar Ahmed and NCA had the right to redact parts of the files that carry personal information. It is understood that the full case file will be released soon when Sharifs' lawyer and the NCA have agreed on redactions.

The ARU application said that to assess the merits of any such complaint, it is essential to have access to the documents submitted by the NCA in court.

( With inputs from ANI )

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