Court sends back Park Lane reference against Asif Ali Zardari to NAB

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday sent back the Park Lane reference against former president Asif Ali Zardari and others to the National Accountability Bureau, ARY News reported.

The court had earlier reserved a decision over a petition of Asif Ali Zardari over the jurisdiction of the accountability court under the amended NAB law.

A petition filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday stated that the case is not in the jurisdiction of the accountability court after amendment in the law.

The court should either send the reference back to NAB or acquit him, the petitioner told the court.

Zardari’s counsel Farooq H. Naik appeared before the court, which reserved its decision after arguments of the two sides.

It is to be mentioned here that the PPP leader has got relief in third corruption reference against him after amendment in the accountability law.

The accountability courts earlier returned the Thatta water supply reference against former president Zardari to the National Accountability Bureau over jurisdiction issue.

Before it in December, the Toshakhana reference against Asif Zardari, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was also returned to the NAB over jurisdiction.

After amendments in the NAB Ordinance, the bureau could not register a case of an amount less than Rs 500 million. According to the NAB the Toshakhana reference was worth Rs 120 million.

After the amendments in the NAB Ordinance, section 5 was included which states that cases over Rs 500 million come under the jurisdiction of the NAB.