Thatta Water Supply Scheme: Zardari's indictment via video link likely on August 4

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing a multi-billion rupees fake bank accounts case on Friday wrote a letter to the Accountability Court, Karachi, to make arrangements for indictment of former president Asif Ali Zardari via video link in the Thatta Water Supply Scheme reference on August 4.

The Accountability Court Islamabad has written a letter to the Registrar Accountability Court Karachi, whether Zardari at home or hospital, make arrangements via video link. The court also asked Registrar Accountability Court Karachi to appoint a judicial representative for identification of accused Zardari.

The court further asked the Accountability Court Karachi to ensure presence of Zardari on August 4. The Accountability Court has earlier fixed August 4 for indictment of Zardari and 13 other accused. During the previous hearing, the court allowed indictment of Zardari via video link as he excused himself from appearing before the court owing to his health condition.

"I have been suffering from various diseases as well as due to spread of the coronavirus, I cannot appear before the court," Zardari said in his statement before the court, which he submitted through his counsel, Farooq H Naek.

The bureau had not nominated Zardari in the interim reference, and nominated him and Ashfaq Leghari and In-charge Naudero House Nadeem Bhutto in the supplementary reference.

In the interim reference, the bureau has nominated 13 accused including Ejaz Ahmed Khan, former secretary of Special Initiative Department of Sindh; Hassan Memon, project director/chairman of the procurement committee for the water supply scheme, Thatta; members of the committee namely Ali Akbar Abro, Aijaz Ahmed Memon, Athar Nawaz Durrani, Abdul Haleem Memon, Mohammad Farrukh Khan, Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Siddiq Sulemani and Zeeshan Hasan Yousaf, a private contractor Harish, CEO Omni Group Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, and Minahal Majeed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020