ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court Thursday recorded the statement of prosecution witness, Ahsan Alam, in the mega money laundering case involving former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, and others. The Accountability Court judge-II, Muhammad Azam Khan, while hearing the mega money laundering case, recorded the statement of prosecution witness, Ahsan Aslam, an official of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

At the start of the hearing, Zardari, Talpur's and other accused's counsel filed separate applications seeking grant of one-day exemption of their clients from personal appearance before the court, which the court approved. Ahsan told the court that he appeared before the Federal Investigation Agency's Assistant Director Muhammad Ali Abro on July 9, 2018 and produced relevant record before him.

During the hearing, accused Taha Raza counsel, Shafqat Naqvi completed cross examination of witness, Aslam. The witness, while testifying before the court, said that it is correct that the document he produced were charge registration document. I do not know that who sent the documents for registration of the charge, he said. He said that it was correct that the SECP issues certificate of registration of mortgage etc- is to be correct registration of mortgage of charge.

It is correct that the SECP has never objected to the registration of charge and nor pointed out any defect in the charge registration documents with regard to loan in dispute and companies in dispute, he said. The witness said that it is correct that he has not produced any document of communication between the SECP and Mandviwalla and Zafer or Ahmed and Qazi, advocate depicting objection or any defect pertaining to the charge/finance facility.

Irfan Bola, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor said that the witness has only produced the documents before the investigation officer (IO) and from him no question of contents of those documents can be asked. The court adjourned hearing of the case till January 21.

The NAB had nominated Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Hussain Lawai, Anwar Majid, Abdul Ghani Majeed, Taha Raza, Arif Khan, Muhammad Umair, Syed Hussain Faisal Shah Jamote, Azam Wazir Khan, Nimr Majid, Mustafa Z Majid, Ali Kemal Malik, M Younas Kudwavi, Zain Malik, Haji Haroon, Khawaja Muhammad Salman Younus, Pir Darvesh Khan, Imran Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Bilal Shaikh, in the supplementary reference filed in the connection with mega money laundering case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021