Pink Residency reference: NAB directed to ensure presence of all accused on 20th

An Accountability Court hearing multibillion rupees fake bank accounts case on Monday ordered to ensure presence of all the accused in the Pink Residency reference on the next hearing to be held on November 20.

Accountability Court Judge Azam Khan while hearing the case directed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to ensure presence of all the accused during the next hearing.

The accused Omni Group's Abdul Ghani Majeed, Ahmed Ali Raza Malik and Zain Malik did not appear before the court. These three accused filed an exemption application before the court which the court approved.

The reference pertains to a project titled Pink Residency in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. The accused had alleged involvement in illegal regularization of two plots in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. One of the plots measured 23 acres of land while the other was of seven acres.

Meanwhile, the court hearing Thatta water supply scheme reference issued directives to produce all the accused before it on the next hearing to be held on November 20.

NAB Prosecutor Usman Masood and counsel of accused Jamshed appeared before the court.

The defense counsel filed exemption applications on behalf of co-accused Ali Akbar Abro, Abdul Ghani Majeed and Minahil Majeed. The court after hearing arguments adjourned the case till November 20.

In the reference, the bureau nominated 13 accused including Ejaz Ahmed Khan, former secretary of Special Initiative Department of Sindh, Hassan Memon, project director/chairman of the procurement committee for the water supply scheme, Thatta; and members of the committee namely Ali Akbar Abro, Aijaz Ahmed Memon, Athar Nawaz Durrani, Abdul Haleem Memon, Mohammad Farrukh Khan, Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Siddiq Sulemani and Zeeshan Hasan Yousaf, private contractor Harish, Omni Group CEO Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, and Minahal Majeed.

The NAB's combined investigation team (CIT) following the directions of Supreme Court had started investigations into fake accounts and money laundering case against former president Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, MPA Faryal Talpur and Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz. The investigation team in its report had accused 172 people of having fake bank accounts and indulging in money laundering.