ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing multi-billion rupees fake banks accounts case on Friday turned down former president Asif Ali Zardari's pleas seeking dismissal of Park Lane case as well as his acquittal in the same and fixed August 10th for his indictment.
The Accountability Court Judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while announcing its reserved judgement, said that Park Lane case fell within the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)'s jurisdiction and rejected Zardari's claims that it should be heard by a banking court.
The court decided to start trial of the former president and other accused. At the start of the hearing, Zardari's counsel, Farooq H Naek, requested the court for withdrawing both the applications of his client. The NAB Deputy Prosecutor, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, while opposing Zardari's request regarding withdrawal of applications, requested the court to reject both of Zardari's applications and indict him.
He said that the accused could not withdraw his application after completion of all the arguments. The accused is deliberately using delaying tactics, he said. Abbasi said that after delaying the indictment of the accused for one month, today, they had requested the court to withdraw the applications during counter arguments.
Naek told the court that Park Lane case did not come under the jurisdiction of the NAB law rather it was a case of financial law. He said that the case was regarding money transactions; and Summit Bank and National Bank had already moved a banking court.
The National Bank and the Summit Bank have not made Asif Ali Zardari a party, he said. The judge said that the court would issue an order regarding Zardari's applications. The NAB had filed Park Lane reference on charges of corruption through fake bank accounts and embezzlement in the financial facility for Park Lane (Private) Limited and Parthenon (Pvt) Limited on August 19, 2019.
The NAB alleged that the national exchequer suffered a loss of Rs3.77 billion because of the irregularities. The same court, while hearing mega money laundering case against Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and other accused inquired about accused, Zain Malik's plea bargain application.
Malik's counsel told the court that the process of Malik's plea bargain application had completed. The judge said that Malik should appear in person before the court. The NAB prosecutor said that Malik must appear in person and inform the court.
At this, Malik's counsel said that his client was out of country and the court had also granted him exemption from personal appearance. Malik's exemption from appearing before the court was temporary, the NAB prosecutor said. The NAB's investigation officer told the court that Malik had deposited one million in cash, while the rest of the property was deposited by Bahria Town.
At the start of the hearing, Zardari and Faryal Talpur's counsel filed exemption application, which the court had approved. The court adjourned hearing of the case till September 1st.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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