Corruption references: NAB court to indict Zardari, others on September 28

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad will indict former president Asif Ali Zardari and other accused persons in corruption references related to mega money laundering on September 28, ARY News reported on Friday.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari and other accused have been summoned in their personal capacity by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court on September 28 in connection with the corruption references related to Park Lane, Thatta water supply and mega money laundering through fake bank accounts.

A co-accused Anwar Majeed wrote a letter to the accountability court’s registrar regarding his attendance and sought orders for making arrangements for his appearance in the hearing through video link.

Read: Court turns down Zardari’s plea for quashing references

The counsel of Anwar Majeed pleaded the court to allow his client to appear in the upcoming hearing from his residence or hospital.

It is noteworthy to mention here that the accountability court will indict Asif Ali Zardari in the three supplementary references in mega money laundering case.

Earlier on Wednesday, an accountability court had turned down former president Asif Ali Zardari’s plea for quashing three supplementary references against him.

The court had announced its verdict in the Park Lane, mega money laundering, and Thatta water supply references. The PPP co-chairman can’t be acquitted in the fake bank accounts references, observed the court, summoning him and other accused to appear on September 28.

Read: Court rejects acquittal plea of Zardari in Park Lane reference

Accountability Judge Azam Khan had earlier this month deferred indictment of the PPP co-chairman in the Park Lane supplementary reference after he moved an application requesting deferment of framing of charges until his plea for quashing the reference is decided.

Asif Ali Zardari was indicted in the main Park Lane case on August 10. However, he is yet to be indicted in the supplementary reference that the national graft buster filed against him and 19 other accused in the case.

According to NAB, the Park Lane company was used as a “front company” to siphon off ill-gotten money. He along with his sister Faryal Talpur has also been named in the money laundering case involving Rs4.4 billion embezzlement.

The Thatta water supply company case pertains to illegal award of a contract by the Sindh Special Initiative Department for water supply scheme in Thatta to a private contractor, Harish & Co.