Zardari, Faryal files plea in SC to withdraw decision of sending fake accounts case to NAB

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has failed to submit final challan, stated the plea.

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former president Asif Ali Zaradri and his sister Faryal Talpur have filed a plea in Supreme Court (SC) to withdraw decision of sending fake bank accounts case to National Accountability Bureau (NAB). According to details, advocate Latif Khosa has prepared review petition against the decision, stating that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has failed to submit final challan in banking court despite assistance from all the relevant departments.

SC had constituted Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the case on the request of FIA, the plea added.

It further stated, “We appeared before JIT, submitted our written replies but the agency has not found any direct evidence against us.” On January 21, NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal, complying to the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), transferred the case to the bureau’s office in Rawalpindi.

Money laundering case against Zardari

Earlier on December 24, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), formed on the apex court’s orders to probe into the alleged money-laundering case, presented its 128-page final report to the court which included recommendations for filing 16 NAB references. The report had mentioned that 29 fake accounts were identified by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which laundered Rs42 billion, however, the team further discovered 11,500 bank accounts of 924 account holders, 59 Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and 24,500 Cash Transactions Reports (CTRs). All of these details were scrutinized, besides the loan profile of 924 individuals. The report further stated that the fake accounts were opened through the Omni Group, however the accounts had been engaged with direct transactions with the Zardari Group, Bahria Town, Sindh Government departments and certain contractors while the ultimate beneficiary of money laundering was Zardari’s family. Later, the court had ordered Zardari to submit his reply by December 31, however, during the previous hearing extended his and his sister s interim bail till January 7. On September 6, the SC had formed a JIT to probe into alleged mega money laundering of Rs42 billion channeled through fake bank accounts in three banks. Besides the Zardari family, several prominent individuals including former Summit Bank president Hussain Lawai and Omni Group president Anwar Majeed, have been accused in the case. Property tycoon Malik Riaz, his son-in-law Zain, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have been also included in the inquiry.