Zardari's three bail petitions dismissed as withdrawn

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed as withdrawn bail petitions of former president Asif Ali Zardari in three National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases, ARY News reported.

A NAB team presented Zardari before an IHC bench on its directives to attend the hearing of the petitions he had filed to obtain bail in the Park Lane and luxury vehicles cases.

A two-bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the petitions.

The former president requested the bench to allow him to withdraw these petitions.

Granting his request, the bench dismissed the petitions.

It is noteworthy that the former president was taken into custody after his bail was rejected in the fake bank accounts case.

At a previous hearing, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, who represented Zardari, had contended before the court that since the PPP leader was not granted bail in both the cases, NAB can arrest his client even after he gets bail in the fake bank accounts case.

Advocate Farooq H Naek stated that an accused seeking pre-arrest bail must appear in person before the court under the law.

NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, opposing the plea, said Zardari was in the bureau’s custody and thus, his personal attendance before the IHC was not mandatory.

The court, however, directed NAB to produce Zardari before it on June 26 (today).

The former president through his lawyers had filed an application before the IHC seeking directives for NAB to produce him on the hearing of his petitions.