ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Wednesday rejected former president Asif Ali Zardari’s petitions seeking quashing of three supplementary references pertaining to multi-billion rupees fake accounts cases against him filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Accountability Court judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while announcing its reserved judgement on Zardari’s plea seeking acquittal in three supplementary references filed by the NAB in connection with mega money laundering case turned down the petition, and fixed September 28 for indictment.
The court ordered the indictment of Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, and others, and summoned them to appear before it on September 28.
The court on September 9, deferred indictment of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman in the Park Lanes supplementary reference, after he moved an application requesting deferment of framing of charges until his plea for quashing the reference was decided.
The NAB has nominated Zardari, Talpur, and 30 others, in mega money laundering reference.
The NAB had nominated, Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Hussain Lawai, Anwar Majid, Abdul Ghani Majeed, Taha Raza, Arif Khan, Muhammad Umair, Syed Hussain Failsal Shah Jamote, Azam Wazir Khan, Nimr Majid, Mustafa Z Majid, Ali Kemal Malik, M Younas Kudwavi, Zain Malik, Haji Haroon, Kh Muhammad Salman Younus, Pir Darvesh Khan, Imran Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Bilal Shaikh, in the supplementary reference filed with respect to mega money laundering case.
In the interim reference regarding mega money laundering case, the NAB has a total of 30 accused including Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Hussain Lawai, Taha Raza, Anwar Majeed, Abdul Ghani Majeed, Noreen Sultan, Kiran Aman, Adeel Shah Rashidi, Muhammad Ashraf, Qasim Ali, Shahzad Ali, Sher Muhammad, Zain Malik, Iqbal Khan Noori, Nimr Majeed, Mustafa Zulqarnain, Aslam Masood, Muhammad Arif Khan, Nassar Abdullah, Adnan Javed, Muhammad Umair, Iqbal Arian, Azam Wazir Khan, Christopher D Craz, Muhammad Nasir Sheikh, Ghanzanfar Ahsan, Sawoodi Morkas, Muhammad Raheel Mobin, and Ali Kamal Majeed.
Similarly, the NAB has also nominated Zardari and 19 suspects in Park Lane reference.
According to the NAB, Zardari and others had allegedly embezzled funds obtained for M/S Parthenon Private Limited and M/S Park Lane Private Limited, which inflicted losses of Rs3.77 billion to the national exchequer.
Those who are nominated by the NAB in the supplementary reference filed in the connection with Park Lane case include, Zardari, Muhammad Iqbal Memon Director Park Lane Company, M/s Park Lane Estate Private Limited, Muhammad Iqbal Khan Noori Director M/s Parthenon (Pvt) Ltd, Muhammad Hanif Accountant M/s Park Lane Estate, M/s Parthenon Private Limited, an incorporated entity bearing certificate of incorporation under the provision of the Companies Ordinance 1984 and Hussain Lawai, former president Arif Habib Bank, and Summit Bank.
The other accused include Abdul Ghani Majid, shareholder/director Regent Service (Pvt) Ltd, multiple companies known as OMNI group, Khawaja Anwar Majid shareholder director OMNI group, Taha Raza relationship manager Arif Habib Bank now Summit Bank, Farooq Abdullah area branch manager HBL, Uzair Naeem former AVP Summit Bank, M/s Tracom (Pvt) Ltd through GM south, an incorporated entity bearing certificate of incorporation under the provision of the companies office, Muhammad Saleem, Faisal General Manger (GM) M/s Tracom (Private) Limited, and Zahir Ismail.
The anti-graft body nominated Zardari and 13 other suspects in the supplementary filed in the connection with Thatta Water Supply Scam.
The bureau had not nominated Zardari in the interim reference: and nominated him and Ashfaq Leghari and In-charge Naudero House Nadeem Bhutto in the supplementary reference.
In the interim 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; 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, a private contractor Harish, CEO Omni Group Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, and Minahal Majeed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020