IHC dismisses NAB appeals challenging Asif Ali Zardari's acquittal

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday dismissed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) appeals against PPP Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s acquittal in 25-year-old references.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the verdict on NAB’s plea seeking the withdrawal of its four appeals in corruption cases registered against former president Asif Ali Zardari.

At the outset of the hearing today, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed that the court dismissed NAB pleas against Zardari on merit.

The development comes after the anti-graft watchdog sought to withdraw its appeals against former president Asif Ali Zardari’s acquittal in references that went back to the 1990s.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed these references against Mr Zardari some 25 years ago. The PPP leader was later acquitted in 2014 and 2015.

In its application, NAB stated that the available record against Zardari was not ‘sufficient’ and only photocopies of documents in references against Zardari were on record.

Last month, the IHC had given the anti-graft body up till October 20 to review the cases against Zardari’s acquittal in the 25-year-old cases under the new law.

Read more: Asif Zardari seeks withdrawal of acquittal appeal in NAB reference

Earlier, former president Asif Ali Zardari moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to withdraw his acquittal appeal in the Rs8 billion suspicious transaction reference.