Top court to hear money laundering case at Lahore registry today

Top court to hear money laundering case at Lahore registry today

Lahore (Staff Report/Agencies): The Supreme Court will hear a case pertaining to the money laundering at its Lahore registry on Monday (today).

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar will head the three-member bench of the apex court.

Pakistan Peoples' Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari's counsels, Farooq H Naek and Sardar Lateef Khosa, will appear before the court.

The court, during Monday's hearing, is expected to hand over the Joint Investigative Team report to the PPP leader's legal team.

On Friday, A banking court in Karachi extended the interim pre-arrest bail of former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till January 7 in money laundering case.

The PPP leader and his sister appeared before the banking court after their interim bail ended today.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior party leaders, including Khursheed Shah and Rehman Malik were also present on this occasion while a large number of party workers had gathered outside the court premises.

The JIT that has been investigating the fake accounts recommended a legal course against some 415 key individuals and around 172 entities allegedly involved in transactions of approximately Rs220 billion through 104 fake accounts.

The JIT observed that either the investigation would be further referred to banking courts, NAB, FIA or it was up to the apex court to decide based on the JIT findings. In a series of events in the fake accounts investigation, the JIT report also revealed a domestic worker of Zardari, with an estimated fortune of around Rs8.1 billion stashed into one of his fake accounts. Mushtaq Ahmed, 37, who once served as one of personal staff members of Zardari accumulated the wealth with Zain Malik through a joint fake account maintained in a private bank in Karachi during 2014-15, the report stated.

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.