Zardari Seeks Acquittal After New Nab Law, Verdict Reserved

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad accountability court on Thursday reserved a verdict on the admissibility of an application of former president Asif Ali Zardari seeking his acquittal in an Rs8.3 billion suspicious transactions case.

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

Accountability Judge Asghar Khan will announce the verdict shortly.

Zardari turned up before the court along with his lawyer as it resumed hearing. The 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 contended that no case is made out against Zardari after the new law, pleading with the judge to acquit him.

After hearing arguments, the judge reserved the verdict on the maintainability of the plea. The court will also decide whether or not to frame charges on the former president.

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.