JV Opal case: Bilawal Bhutto appears in NAB, gets questionnaire

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in in a Joint Venture (JV) Opal 255 corruption case, ARY News reported.

The summon for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to appear before NAB Rawalpindi was issued on Monday and he was directed to bring records of Zardari Group of Companies from 2008 to 2019. 

Bilawal appeared before the NAB’s investigation team, where after quizzing of 30 minutes, he was handed over a questionnaire comprising of 32 questions.

Sources said the PPP chairman failed to give satisfactory answers to the NAB team during interrogation.

The PPP leader has been asked to submit his reply within two weeks.

Bilawal Bhutto is accused of taking out an amount of Rs1.22 billion from a fake bank account to utilize it for his personal company.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari argued during the NAB probe that he was a child when the transaction was made, however, the documents bear his signatures.

Chairman NAB Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal had already given nod to turn the inquiry against the top PPP leader into an investigation. Bilawal is summoned by the accountability watchdog four times but he appeared only once before them.

The Opal-225 (referred in tax record is a joint investment of Zardari Group Ltd) was initiated on October 15, 2011. In 2009, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his father became shareholders of the company.

Both of them have a stake of 25 percent each in the company.

Allegedly, billions of rupees were transferred to the company’s accounts via fake bank accounts. The company took out loans of billions of rupees from the banks.