IHC extends stay order against Asif Ali Zardari's indictment

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday extended its stay order against the indictment of former president Asif Ali Zardarin in Rs8.3 suspicious transactions case. 

An IHC bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamir Farooq took up a petition filed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman against an Islamabad accountability court’s Oct 14 verdict of rejecting his acquittal plea in the case.

Also Read: Zardari files plea for acquittal in references under amended NAB law

The court gave the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) more time to file its reply to the petition and adjourned the case until November 23. The bench restrained the trial court from framing charges against him till further order.

On Oct 14, the accountability court rejected a plea filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari seeking his acquittal in the Rs8.3 billion suspicious transaction case.

Also Read: NAB summons Asif Zardari’s political secretary in money laundering case

He had moved the acquittal plea on the basis of the recent amendments made to the country’s accountability law. His counsel stated before the court that his client cannot be indicted in the case after the promulgation of the National Accountability (NAO) Ordinance, 2021.

He had contended that no case is made out against former president Asif Ali Zardari after the new law, pleading with the judge to acquit him.