Money laundering: Hearing of Asif Ali Zardari's acquittal plea adjourned

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court has adjourned the hearing of acquittal pleas filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari in money laundering reference due to busy schedule of his counsel Farooq H Naek in other courts, ARY News reported on Thursday.

An accountability court in Islamabad conducted the hearing of acquittal pleas of Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur and other accused in money laundering case.

The counsel has submitted the exemption pleas of Zardari, Talpur and others during the hearing.

READ: ZARDARI, TALPUR INDICTED IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE, PLEAD INNOCENCE

However, the arguments could not be initiated in the acquittal pleas due to the busy schedule of Farooq H Naek in other courts.

The accountability court accepted the exemption pleas of the accused.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had opposed the acquittal plea of Asif Ali Zardari in money laundering reference.

READ: NAB SUMMONS ASIF ZARDARI’S POLITICAL SECRETARY IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

Earlier in October, the accountability court had rejected the plea filed by the former president Asif Ali Zardari seeking his acquittal in the Rs8.3 billion suspicious transaction case, ARY News reported.

The PPP co-chairman had moved the acquittal plea on the basis of the recent amendments made to the country’s accountability law.

According to the reference, former president Asif Ali Zardari is accused of carrying out transactions worth over Rs8 billion using fake accounts. His aide Mushtaq Ahmed deposited the amount in a fake account, which was later used to purchase pricey properties in a posh locality of Karachi.