Zardari, Talpur file review plea against SC order in fake accounts case

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur filed a review petition on Monday against the Supreme Court decision in the fake bank accounts case, ARY News reported.

On Jan 7, the SC, in light of the Joint Investigation Team report, ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to conduct a thorough inquiry into the case and wrap it up within two months.

According to the petition, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) failed to submit the final challan in the court and as it couldn’t find any evidence in the case.

The plea, recalling that the JIT was formed on recommendation of the FIA, said the probe report was finalized without incorporation of Zadari and Talpur’s version and it was sent to the SC.

The petition further added that the SC admitted FIA couldn’t furnish substantial evidence. It said there was no rational to move fake bank accounts case to Islamabad from Karachi.

The petition stated that the “impugned order suffered from errors floating on the surface of the record”. It also argues that the directions issued in the SC order are prejudicial to the petitioner in any futuristic eventualities of a fair trial and due process will not be possible under Article 10 (a) of the Constitution.

The review appeal further stated that the apex court’s decision commits an error in holding that the constitution of the JIT is a valid exercise of jurisdiction in aid of a lawful object.

“The facts and circumstances of the case n light of the JIT report in this court were not justified in directing the transmission of the JIT report along with all the material and evidence collected by the JIT to the NAB”.

It appealed the apex court to review its order.

On Jan 7, the apex court had ordered NAB to conduct a thorough inquiry into the case and wrap it up within two months.

The judgment read that according to the JIT report, [fake bank accounts] were a matter of kickbacks, misuse of authority, money laundering and embezzlement.

During the hearing, Zardari’s counsel Farooq H. Naek claimed the JIT report was utterly biased. “Let us avoid commenting on the report,” the then chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar said, adding that the probe had revealed some real insight in the case.