Karachi (Staff Report): A banking court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in a money laundering case.
The former president was granted 15-day interim bail by the banking court on August 31.
On August 17, a banking court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Zardari and other absconding suspects in the ongoing investigation.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on August 18 had approved the protective bail on the petition filed by the former president in the case and ordered him to appear before the relevant court before September 3.
This is pertinent to mention that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is investigating 32 people, including Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in connection with money laundering from fake accounts.
Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July in connection with the probe.
Former president's other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani, were also arrested by FIA earlier this month whereas Majeed’s three other sons were granted interim bail.
Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 in some banks from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.
According to FIA sources, the amount is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
