ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday granted bail to former president Asif Ali Zardari in a money laundering case on medical grounds.
A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani granted bail to Zardari after hearing the arguments of the PPP co-chairman’s lawyer, Farooq H Naek, and NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi.
During the hearing, Naek contended that his client is unable to appear in court due to his ailing health.
He said Zardari had to be hospitalised on January 10 after his health worsened.
At this, Justice Farooq asked the NAB prosecutor about the status of the case.
Abbasi apprised that a reference regarding the matter has not been filed as yet.
He added that it is at the stage of an investigation.
The prosecutor said Zardari had not yet given his reply to a call-up notice given to him in 2019.
Naek informed that his client had been on remand for two months, adding, the bureau’s investigation officer could have questioned him during that time. He further said that his client was still ready to be questioned.
At this, Justice Kayani asked the NAB prosecutor if he had any objections to the medical report or did he deem it as fake.
He also asked whether the petitioner will leave the country following the bail. Responding to this, Naek said his client’s name is on the Exit Control List (ECL), so he cannot go abroad.
This case is related to a suspicious transaction of Rs8.3 billion from Bahria Town through joint accounts of Zain Malik, son-in-law of property tycoon Malik Riaz, into fake accounts.
In his petitions, the former president prayed before the court to restrain the bureau from arresting them.
In the identical petitions, Zardari stated that the NAB had served a call-up notice on him to appear on March 20, 2020 before a combined investigation team to record his statement with respect to investigation into fake bank accounts. He added that in order to safeguard himself from mala fide and illegal arrest at the hands of the NAB and law enforcement agencies of the country and to enable him to surrender before the competent court of law; he had filed a constitutional petition before the Sindh High Court for protective bail.
The SHC on March 19 approved protective bail for him for 10 days, he said.
Zardari said that he also appeared before the NAB team which after interrogating him for one hour handed him a questionnaire with the direction to submit a reply to the same within 10 days.
“At the moment petitioner is not aware that how many cases are registered against him and how many Call Up notices will be issued to him and/or references may be filed against him by the respondents. Till date three Call Up Notices have been issued by the respondents to the petitioner,” said the petition.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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