NAB court stopped to indict Asif Ali Zardari in suspicious transaction case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the accountability court not to indict former president Asif Ali Zardari in Rs8.3 billion suspicious transaction case till the next hearing, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has extended its stay order on the accountability court’s verdict to indict former president Asif Ali Zardari in Rs8.3 billion suspicious transaction case.

The IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petition filed by Asif Ali Zardari to nullify the accountability court’s verdict. In the plea, the accountability court, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and the Centre were made parties.

READ: IHC EXTENDS ASIF ZARDARI’S INTERIM BAIL IN NEW YORK PROPERTY CASE

Farooq H Naek appeared before the court to represent Zardari, whereas, Nasir Mehmood Mughal attended the hearing to represent the anti-corruption watchdog.

During the hearing, the NAB submitted its written response to the IHC.

Naek told the court that the accountability court had turned down the acquittal plea in the reference. He pleaded with the court to nullify the accountability court’s order.

Farooq H Naek told the court that he will give arguments in the case after reviewing the NAB’s written response.

READ: IHC BARS AC FROM INDICTING ASIF ALI ZARDARI IN SUSPICIOUS TRANSACTIONS CASE

Later, the IHC extended its stay on the indictment of Zardari in the suspicious transaction case and directed the accountability court not to indict the former president till the next hearing.

The hearing was adjourned till December 14.

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.

Ahmed served as a stenographer at Aiwan-e-Sadar from 2009 till 2013. He has been declared as a fugitive in the case due to his perpetual absence from the proceedings.