Karachi (Staff Report/Agencies): The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday granted a 10-day protective bail to Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in fake bank accounts case.
The court, however, rejected their plea, seeking a stay order against a banking court's decision allowing the National Accountability Bureau to transfer the case to Rawalpindi.
A two-member bench comprising SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh and Justice Umar Sial rejected Zardari’s request to issue a stay order against the banking court’s ruling, the SHC bench issued notices to the NAB prosecutor and director general of NAB Karachi office summoning a response from them within a week.
A banking court had accepted the NAB’s request, seeking transfer of the fake bank accounts case to the accountability court of Rawalpindi for trial.
Following the order, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on March 20.
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.