LAHORE: An accountability court on Wednesday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a 14-day physical remand of a close aide to PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in the money laundering case.

The NAB had arrested absconding suspect Ali Ahmad Khan from Islamabad the other day.

The bureau produced the suspect before the court to obtain his physical remand.

The prosecution alleged the suspect was a facilitator of money laundering for Shehbaz and his sons -- Hamza and Suleman. It said the suspect established two benami companies -- Good Nature and Uni Tass — to commit the money laundering. It said Shehbaz, during his tenure as chief minister, had given a job to the suspect at the chief minister secretariat.

The court allowed the request and granted physical remand of the suspect to the NAB till Dec 1.

Khan was declared a proclaimed offender in 2020 in the money laundering reference for not joining the investigation.

Shehbaz and Hamza are on bail in the Rs7bn reference of money laundering and assets beyond means.

The reference accused Shehbaz of being a beneficiary of the assets held in the name of his family members and benamidars, who had no sources to acquire such assets.