F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has adjourned hearing of the fake bank accounts against former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till May 21, after issuing orders to provide the suspects with copies of the reference, on Thursday.
During the hearing, Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik, while hearing the case earlier today, remarked that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had failed to provide copies of the reference filed against the suspects.
Pakistan Peoples Party leaders Zardari and Talpur were in attendance during the hearing.
Zardari was also scheduled to appear before NAB for questioning today; however, his summons was postponed upon his request.
The accountability watchdog had reportedly prepared another reference in the fake accounts case and had summoned the former president at its Rawalpindi office for questioning.
According to sources, Zardari had been summoned in the Harish and Company case. Harish and Company allegedly took a contract for water supply from the Special Initiative Department of Sindh but no work was done on the project. It is further alleged that these funds were used to meet the expenses of Naudero House.
NAB officials say that Harish and Company was the front company to Park Lane Estate which led to a loss of Rs60 million to the national exchequer.
ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur has appeared before accountability court in in the fake bank accounts case, on Thursday.
According to details, Justice Muhammad Arshad Malik will preside over the hearing of the case.
A heavy contingent of security personnel has been deployed around the court to prevent any untoward incident.
On the other hand, Zardari sent an application to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation team and sought more time for appearing before it.
The application also mentioned that he was scheduled to appear before the accountability court, and therefore he could not show up in the bureau.
On May 8, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted him pre-arrest bail till May 15 in the case related to illegal award of contracts to private firms.
The case is part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the anti-graft watchdog after the Supreme Court forwarded the joint investigation team (JIT) report in the fake accounts scandal and directed it to probe money laundering of billions of rupees through fictitious bank accounts and file references.
PPP lawmaker Faryal Talpur, Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed and his sons, and former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairperson Hussain Lawai are among others being investigated in the case.
The NAB sent him a call-up notice for recording his statement on May 9 in an inquiry regarding Sindh government’s illegal award of contract to M/S Harish and company, and others.
