Faryal Talpur challenges FIA's provisional charge-sheet in money-laundering scam

KARACHI: Faryal Talpur, a leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, has challenged on Monday the interim charge-sheet of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Sindh High Court (SHC).

Faryal Talpur’s legal counsel contended in the plea that first information report (FIR) of FIA did not mention money laundering charges or her [Faryal] name in it.

“My client is not associated with any misconduct”, Faryal’s counsel pleaded.

Since, the FIR failed to stipulate any commission or corruption, therefore, FIA’s charge-sheet should be declared illegal and further proceeding in the case should be carried after issuing a stay order on the charge-sheet, the application further prayed.

The PPP leader, who recently won from a provincial assembly seat in Larkana, got pre-arrest bail on July 28 from the Special Banking Court in Karachi until August 6.

Zardari and his sister were among over a dozen suspects, FIA declared as absconders in the money-laundering scam.

According to the FIR registered by FIA, transactions of billions of rupees were made into suspicious accounts, including the one owned by the PPP leaders, the Zardari Group, which is accused of receiving Rs 15 million of the laundered money.

Two days after being declared an absconder in a money-laundering scam, Faryal Talpur obtained pre-arrest bail from the Sindh High Court on July 24.

Ms Talpur filed a petition in the SHC Larkana circuit bench seeking pre-arrest bail.

The bench approved bail for the PPP leader for six days against a surety of Rs two million and directed her to surrender to the court concerned in the case.