Court grants bail to Asif Zardari in New York property case

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court Islamabad on Saturday released details of its decision over approval of bail to former president Asif Ali Zardari in the New York apartment case, ARY News reported.

Accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir granted bail to Asif Ali Zardari on medical grounds. “Mr Zardari being granted permanent bail due to his health problems,” the court said in its decision.

“The New York property case against Asif Ali Zardari has been in the inquiry phase. The NAB has yet to collect evidence against him,” the court observed.

“The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could submit petition in court with regard to cancellation of his bail on the basis of substantial evidence,” the court said.

“The NAB received complaints against Asif Zardari in year 2018 and 2019 and it received the JIT report on the matter in April 2019,” according to the court.

Asif Zardari after his arrest in another case was released on December 2019, the court added.

The NAB had served Asif Zardari a notice along with a questionnaire to provide information about his property of Belair apartment, 524 East 72nd Street, 37F, Manhattan, New York, United States.

He had subsequently obtained pre-arrest bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to avoid his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

However, Asif Ali Zardari denied owning the expensive apartment in Manhattan. “I had sold out the apartment the same year I purchased it,” the sources quoted him as saying in the reply he filed through his lawyers.