LAHORE: Punjab Assembly opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz appeared before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) here on Wednesday in the sugar scam and recorded his statement.

Hamza reached the FIA’s provincial headquarters on Temple Road accompanied by a good number of party workers and provincial lawmakers. Motorists faced inconvenience for a few hours on the adjoining roads, especially The Mall, because of traffic congestion.

The FIA investigators grilled him for 40 minutes.

“At one point, Hamza reminded the FIA director Lahore this time will pass too as it is not static,” an official said and added Hamza could not provide the required details in the Rs25 billion money laundering charges against him and members of his family in the sugar scandal.

Last week his father and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had also appeared before the FIA in the same investigation and recorded his statement.

In a statement issued to the media after his appearance, he said he had submitted a written reply to the FIA. He said during the last appearance, the FIA had attributed a ‘false statement’ of his in the media. He said six months ago he had replied to all queries of the FIA in this case.

“NAB has already probed the charges which the FIA is investigating today,” he said and added nothing had been proved in the accountability court against him and his family members regarding these charges.

PML-N Punjab spokesperson Azma Bokhari said Jehangir Tareen was the prime suspect in this case but the FIA said it did not seek his arrest in the court, thus giving him a clean chit. Similarly, she said federal minister Khusro Bakhtiar was also involved in the sugar scam. She said Hamza’s sugar mills are closed but the sugar mills of those in power were selling the sweetener up to Rs110 per kilogram.