JV Opal case: Bilawal Bhutto appears before NAB Rawalpindi

F.P. Report

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi in JV (Joint Venture) Opal case, on Thursday.

The anti-graft body handed over a questionnaire comprising 32 questions to the PPP chairman and summoned reply within two weeks. Bilwala Bhutto talked to media after appearing before the NAB and said he is being politically victimized.

Strict security arrangements had been made around the NAB’s Rawalpindi office and all routes leading towards the old headquarters of the anti-corruption watchdog were blocked.

Heavy contingents of police had been deployed to stop the possible entry of the PPP workers inside the bureau’s premises.

It is pertinent here to mention that the accountability watchdog had ordered Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to bring all record of Zardari Group from 2008 till 2019, and a list of board of directors of the company.

The PPP chairman has been accused of withdrawing Rs1.22 billion from a fake account for his private company.

Bilawal Bhutto has claimed that he was young at that time, but contrary to his statement, the audit report contains his signature. The NAB has obtained an audit report and documents containing his signature.

For the same case, NAB Chairman retired justice Javed Iqbal had approved converting that inquiry into an investigation, and the bureau summoned Bilawal for the fourth time.

However, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appeared before the investigation team only once. According to NAB, the PPP chairman had 25 percent shares in a private firm, JV Opal.

PPP leaders together have been accused of transferring billions of rupees to JV Opal via fake bank accounts. The company also took loans of billions of rupees from banks.