Islamabad (Staff Report): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till April 29 in the fake bank accounts and money laundering case.
A two-member IHC bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar heard the case and extended the pre-arrest bail of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders till April 29.
On March 28, an IHC division bench had approved the bail petitions of the former president and his sister, granting them pre-arrest bail till April 10.
The bench had also ordered the former president to submit bail bonds worth Rs1 million each on four of his petitions and accepted his request to submit a total of Rs4 million in the form of cash. Faryal Talpur had been directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs1 million.
The PPP leaders had approached the IHC seeking pre-arrest bail to avoid arrest in the fake bank accounts and money laundering case.
Earlier this month, a banking court in Karachi had ordered the transfer of the fake bank accounts and mega money laundering case to Islamabad.
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 through 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 in this connection.
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.
