IHC extends Zardari, Talpur's bail in fake accounts case

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench on Wednesday extended the interim bail granted to former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the fake bank accounts case.

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The division bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani extended the PPP leaders’ bail until Thursday.

The bench ordered the bureau to present records pertaining to the fake accounts case tomorrow.

The brother-sister duo’s interim bail in the case has been extended four times earlier. They both appeared before the court for another extension in their bail amid tight security.

Earlier on May 14, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had requested the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to dismiss a bail petition of former president Asif Ali Zardari in the mega money laundering and fake bank accounts case by terming it “non-maintainable”.

The bureau had submitted an 11-page reply to the PPP co-chairman’s bail, stating that he is being investigated over his alleged involvement in different cases, including the fake accounts case.

The case

The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July last year in connection with the probe.

The former president’s close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August 2018.

Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.

The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.