The Accountability Court hearing multibillion rupees fake bank accounts case Wednesday summoned former President Asif Ali Zardari and 16 other accused to appear before it on August 19 in the Park Lane corruption reference. Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir issued summons to Zardari and 16 other accused to appear before it on August 19 in a corruption reference filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding the Park Lane case.
Zardari is currently in the custody of NAB. He was arrested on June 10 in mega money laundering case after Islamabad High Court (IHC) cancelled his bail application. The reference was approved by Chairman NAB Justice Javed Iqbal (retd) in Bureau's executive board meeting held on July 3 and a total of 17 accused including Zardari were nominated.
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 Rs 3.77 billion to national kitty. According to the joint investigation team (JIT), Park Lane Estate Company, a Karachi-based firm, was incorporated on October 18, 1979. In 1989, Zardari acquired the company along with his 'front man' Iqbal Memon. In 2009, Zardari, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Iqbal Memon and others became shareholders of the company.
According to the JIT report, it was found out that the M/S Parthenon was merely a 'front company' (straw borrower) of M/S Park Lane Private Limited. M/S Parthenon had no independent business when it entered a joint venture (JV) with the M/S Park Lane (October 2009), it said. The accused also include Muhammad Iqbal Memon, shareholder/ director of M/s Park Lane Estate and a declared absconder, Muhammad Younus Kudwai, shareholder/director of M/s Park lane estate, shareholder/director of M/S Parthenon Limited and a declared absconder, M/S Park Lane Estate Limited through its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Muhammad Iqba Khan Noori, shareholder/director of M/s Parthenon Private Limited (arrested), Muhammad Hanif, accountant M/s Park Lane Estates Private Limited and secretary M/s Parthenon (arrested), and M/s Parthenon Limited through its CEO.
The accused also include Hussain Lawai, former president Arif Habib Bank and Summit Bank (arrested), Abdul Ghani Majeed, owner of different companies of Omni Group (arrested), Aslam Masood, Chief Financial Officer/ General Manager Finance in different companies of Omni Group (arrested), Khwaja Anwer Majid, owner of different companies of Omni Group (under judicial custody), Taha Raza Relationship Manager at Arif Habib Bank (arrested), Farooq Abdullah area/branch manager HBL (arrested), Sher Ali, Operation Manger HBL (arrested), Uzair Naeem former AVP Summit Bank, a declared absconder, M/s Tracom Private Limited through its GM, and Muhammad Saleem Faisal, general manager M/S Tracom Private Limited (arrested).