Court rejects acquittal plea of Zardari in Park Lane reference

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Friday rejected a petition of former president Asif Ali Zardari for dismissal of the National Accountability Bureau in Park Lane reference against him and his acquittal, ARY News reported.

The court also disallowed a petition of Zardari challenging jurisdiction of the accountability bureau.

The accountability watchdog had opposed the petition, after which the court had reserved its verdict over the matter.

Accountability Judge Azam Khan announced the court’s decision and also decided to indict Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the next hearing of the case on August 10.

Park Lane case
Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and other accused face charges of corruption through fake bank accounts and embezzlement in the financial facility for Park Lane Private Limited and Parthenon (Pvt) Limited.

The Park Lane case is being investigated under different sections of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, over Zardari’s alleged involvement in a loan and its misappropriation by Parthenon Private Limited.

A loan worth Rs 1.5 billion was taken from a bank and transferred to the company’s account in a private bank.