The court has adjourned the hearing until July 14 after the counsel of Asif Ali Zafari said that he needed more time to prepare his arguments in the case.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 6th, 2020) An accountability court postponed indictment of PPP Co-Chairman and former President Asif Ali Zardari in park lane reference here on Monday.
Accountability Judge Azam Khan was hearing the petition moved by former President Asif Ali Zardari pleading the court to nullify Park Lane reference against him.
Advocate Farooq H Naek, the counsel of Asif Ali Zardari, appeared before the court and argued that indictment should be stopped as the proceedings against Zardari legally were not justified. He also told the court that the case was of deliberate loan fraud and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) should take action.
He further told the court that loan defaulting was a matter concerning the State Bank of Pakistan. The counsel argued that the State Bank governor approved a reference against them and a notice was issued if any person was found involved in defaults on loan.
However, NAB prosecutor opposed his arguments, saying that the case against former president Asif Zardari was of misuse of power and fraud.
At this, the accountability court issued notice to NAB on the plea filed by Asif Ali Zardari, to which the NAB prosecutor said that they had received the notice and they were ready to give reply today and urged court to indict all the accused including Asif Zardari.
However, Asif Zardari’s lawyer pleaded the court for more time to prepare his arguments. At this, the judge postponed the indictment of all the accused including former president Asif Zardari and putt off the hearing till July 14.
On July 19, 2019, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed Park Lane properties reference against former president Asif Ali Zardari.
The reference nominated Asif Ali Zardari and 17 others.
According to NAB, Asif Ali Zardari was allegedly for running a fake front company by the name of Parathon as a shareholder in Park Lane properties. A loan worth Rs 1.5 billion was taken out from the bank and transferred to the company account in a private bank.
Zardari had forged documents to comply with the loan policy and coaxed the National Bank into loan approval, it added.
