–Talpur’s lawyer tells court Rs1.5bn transferred to his client’s account by Omni Group was payment for sugarcane supplied to mills
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday extended the interim bails of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the fake bank accounts case till Thursday.
The bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani issued orders for extension in the interim bails of both accused.
The IHC further ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to present records pertaining to the fake accounts case on Thursday. When asked by the judge as to “why an amount of Rs1.5 billion was transferred into Talpur’s bank account,” counsel Farooq H Naek replied that the co-accused comes from a family of sugarcane cultivators and that the sugarcane was provided to the sugar mills of the Omni Group. Naek also apprised the court that those accounts were in fact business accounts and were not fake.
NAB authorities alleged that Zardari and Talpur were abettors in an offence and that the duo assisted in transactions pertaining to fake accounts.
ZARDARI MISSES, BILAWAL APPEARS BEFORE NAB:
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his father Asif Ali Zardari, were scheduled to record statements in separate investigations on Wednesday.
Zardari was summoned in an investigation regarding illegal award of contract for a solar power project that caused Rs10 billion loss to the national exchequer.
However, NAB said early on Wednesday that former president Zardari had requested through his lawyer Farooq H Naek to be excused from appearing before the bureau.
“I have to appear before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) at the same time for a pre-arrest bail appeal.” The PPP co-chairman has requested NAB to reschedule after Eidul Fitr.
ACCOUNTABILITY COURT HEARING:
Meanwhile, Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the Pink Residency reference filed by NAB.
Zardari’s close aides Aftab Memon, Abdul Ghani Majeed and 19 others are accused in the case.
The case has been adjourned till June 13.
