PPP denies media reports of non-bailable arrest warrants for Zardari

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party’s legal counsel Farooq H. Naek has denied the media reports about issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants against former president Asif Ali Zardari, a party official said. 

Former senator Farhatullah Babar citing the counsel said that ” Non-bailable arrest warrants for the PPP co-chairman have not been issued and the news circulating on media is based on rumors.”

The banking court on Friday issued non-bailable arrest warrants of the suspects in fake bank accounts case including former president Asif Ali Zardari in a money laundering scam worth Rs 35 billion.

According to details, during the case hearing of money laundering through fake bank accounts, the banking court ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to apprehend all absconding accused in the case and produce them before the court on September 4.

Co-accused, Faryal Talpur, will not be arrested since she has already taken bail from the banking court a day earlier.

Zardari and his sister were among the suspects, which include twenty other individuals, 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.

The fake accounts case

The Supreme Court in July had taken up a suo motu case regarding fake accounts that revolves around a 2015 inquiry into the suspicious transactions when 29 ‘benami’ bank accounts were identified. Seven individuals were found involved in transacting Rs35bn suspiciously.

Seven individuals were said to be involved in using those accounts for suspicious transactions. The accounts were allegedly used to channel funds received through kickbacks.

The investigation has, however, revealed that the amount laundered can go up to Rs100billion.