Court extends Zardari, Talpur's judicial remand till Dec 17 in money laundering, Park Lane cases
Meanwhile, Zardari has been undergoing medical treatment at the Pims in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday extended judicial remand of former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till December 17 in the money laundering through fake bank accounts and Park Lane Reference cases.
Justice Muhammad Azam resumed hearing of the cases, and ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to handover copies of a supplementary reference filed against the accused persons.
Meanwhile, Zardari has been undergoing medical treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) of Islamabad which has been declared a sub-jail.
Mr Zardari was not taken from the hospital to the accountability court due to his poor health. The prosecution informed the court that it was not possible to produce the former president due to his health condition. However, Talpur was presented in the courtroom from Adiala Jail.
The NAB prosecutor told the court that the supplementary reference containing 65 volumes was in the stages of scrutiny, the number of suspects involved in the cases was the same as earlier but more evidence has been added.
Thereby, the court ordered to handover copies of the supplementary reference to the accused persons before Dec. 17.
Moreover, Talpur’s application to meet Zardari was accepted by the court as no objection was made by the accountability watchdog.
The Park Lane reference has been registered against Mr Zardari and Ms Talpur under different sections of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.
Mr Zardari has been accused of being involved “in extending loan and its misappropriation by M/s Parthenon Private Limited, M/S Park Lane Estate Private Limited and others”.
On Nov. 12, the court had rejected Zardari’s application seeking his transfer to Karachi for treatment by private doctors of his choice instead of physicians of the Islamabad-based government hospital.
On the same day, the court had extended Zardari and Talpur’s judicial remand till Nov. 26 in the money laundering through fake bank accounts case.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor had presented his arguments in the courtroom.
“Zardari was shifted to the hospital upon recommendation of a medical board formed by the government […] filing an application with the government is not begging,” the prosecutor stated.
The prosecutor had further asked whether the former president was transferred to the hospital due to begging.
“The situation is not like this […] now seeking recommendation of the same medical board and the government is being interpreted as begging,” he had argued.
