Two govt officials who 'facilitated' Zardari's company in Park Lane case arrested

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has made headways in the probe of fake bank accounts case as it arrested two prime suspects in Park Lane reference against PPP leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto, ARY NEWS reported on Saturday.

Those arrested by the NAB included former member Capital Development Authority (CDA) Mian Wahiduddin, and a tehsildar named Iqbal. They are blamed for transferring 118 canals of land illegally to a company owned by Asif Ali Zardari.

Both the suspects were produced before the accountability court, where a physical remand of 14 days has been approved against them.

In one of the previous hearings of the Park Lane reference at the accountability court, the lawyer of the former president said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) courts cannot investigate the mega-money laundering case.

According to an amendment made in section 27 of the Financial Action Recovery Act, the banking court can hear investigate the money laundering case, not the NAB courts, he added.

Zardari’s lawyer further said in his argument before the court that the governor State Bank of Pakistan has not filed a reference against his client, neither sent any notice.

Park Lane case

Former President Asif Ali Zardari and 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.