ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad has granted an exemption to former president Asif Ali Zardari from personal appearance in the Park Lane reference.
As Accountability Judge Azam Khan resumed the hearing of the Park Lane reference filed against the former president by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). An associate lawyer of Zardari, Farooq H Naek, during the hearing, demanded that the case be put off for the council could not come to the capital city as he is busy pursuing cases in Karachi.
Separate applications on the behalf of Zardari and co-accused Abdul Ghani Majeed were filed in court seeking exemption from personal appearance in today’s hearing.
The judge remarked that the process of recording statements of prosecution witnesses should not be halted. The court adjourned the case until tomorrow and directed lawyers representing the accused to ensure their presence in court.
In the Park Lane reference, Asif Ali Zardari is accused of causing a loss of Rs 3.77 billion to the national exchequer through fake bank accounts. Other accused in the reference include PPP senators Usman Saifullah, Anwar Saifullah, and Saleem Saifullah.
Read more: Notices sent to NAB, SBP on Zardari’s petition
According to NAB sources, the actual value of about 2,500 kanals of land purchased in Islamabad is Rs 2 billion but it was bought for only Rs 62 crore.
The reference filed against the PPP co-chairman and co-accused consists of 13 pages. The text of the reference states that the Park Lane Company made an anonymous property in Karachi through the front company Parthenon.
With the loan money, eight floors were constructed in IBC Center. Initially, a loan of Rs 1.5 billion was taken which increased to Rs 4 billion. Debt irregularities were committed and the accused conspired to damage the treasury.
