Fake accounts case: Court adjourns hearing till May 21
The NAB sent him a call-up notice for recording his statement in the case on May 9.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – An accountability court in Islamabad on Thursday adjourned hearing of the fake bank accounts case till May 21, while ordering to issue copies of the reference to the accused persons, including former president and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.
Justice Muhammad Arshad Malik presided over the hearing of the case. As the hearing resumed, Farooq H. Naek, the counsel for Mr Zardari, asked whether copies of the reference in the case were prepared or not.
To which, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor stated that copies had been submitted in the office, but the investigation officer could not appear today due to a head injury.
Subsequently, Justice Malik ordered to give the copies to the accused persons. The prosecutor told the court that 28 copies were prepared so far, and time was needed to prepare the remaining copies.
A lawyer of accused Zain Malik pleaded with the court for his client’s exemption from personal appearance in the case by stating that his client was suffering from a bone marrow disease.
The court accepted his application and was informed that another accused Iqbal Khan Noori had already been arrested in another reference.
A heavy contingent of security personnel was deployed around the court to prevent any untoward incident.
On the other hand, Zardari sent an application to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation team and sought more time for appearing before it.
The application also mentioned that he was scheduled to appear before the accountability court, and therefore he could not show up in the bureau.
On May 8, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted him pre-arrest bail till May 15 in the case related to illegal award of contracts to private firms.
The case is part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the anti-graft watchdog after the Supreme Court forwarded the joint investigation team (JIT) report in the fake accounts scandal and directed it to probe money laundering of billions of rupees through fictitious bank accounts and file references.
PPP lawmaker Faryal Talpur, Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed and his sons, and former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairperson Hussain Lawai are among others being investigated in the case.
The NAB sent him a call-up notice for recording his statement on May 9 in an inquiry regarding Sindh government’s illegal award of contract to M/S Harish and company, and others.
