AC returns Toshakhana reference against Zardari, Nawaz to NAB

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court (AC) on Wednesday returned the Toshakhana reference against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to National Accountability Bureau (NAB), ARY News reported.

As per details, Judge Muhammed Bashir heard the case as an administrative judge after the completion of the term of Judge Asghar Ali. He returned the Toshakhana reference to National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The court remarked that after the amendments in the NAB Ordinance, a case cannot be registered on an amount less than Rs 500 million.

The court had earlier declared Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender due to his continuous absence in the Toshakhana case.

Khwaja Anwar Majeed and Ghani Majeed of Omni group also got relief after NAB amendments.

PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and the former prime minister had filed a petition under the amendments in the NAB Ordinance.

The accused former heads of state were blamed for irregularities amounting to Rs 110 million.

The court ordered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take back the reference.

Earlier, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against former President Asif Ali Zardari, former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yousuf Raza Gilani and two others over charges of getting luxury vehicles and gifts from Toshakhana.

In January 2020, the members of the executive board in a meeting chaired by NAB chairman Justice Retd Javed Iqbal approved three references against former premiers, Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani, and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari over the charges.

A reference was also filed against Anwar Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed for paying the taxes of the luxury vehicles imported via Toshakhana.

The reference said that the former president kept the luxury vehicles given as gifts from the UAE and Libya instead of handing them over to Toshakhana and paid their tax amounts using fake bank accounts.

It said that former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani gave undue favour to the president and Nawaz Sharif during his tenure also allowed to handover the vehicles to Asif Zardari.