Apartment in New York case: IHC extends pre-arrest bail to Zardari

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Tuesday, extended pre-arrest bail to former president and co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari in a case related to a call-up notice issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asking details of his alleged ownership of an apartment in New York.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamer Farooq heard the case and extended pre-arrest bail to Zardari till October 7. During the hearing, an associate of Farook H Naek informed that the senior counsel was unable to appear before the court as he was currently in Moscow.

The court also accepted the plea of the former president seeking one-day exemption from the hearing on medical grounds. The medical reports of the accused were also produced before the court. The former president moved the court through Naek and cited chairman NAB, DG Rawalpindi, and the investigation officer as respondents in this matter.

His medical report from the Ziauddin Hospital has also been attached with the plea. The anti-corruption watchdog had issued a notice, along with a questionnaire, to the PPP co-chairperson on June 15 seeking details of the apartment he allegedly owns in Belaire, 524 East 72nd Street, 37F, Manhattan, New York.

In the petition, Zardari's counsel adopted that the notice is baseless and the allegations made therein are based on malafide intentions, so as to malign him. He submitted that the petitioner is not in ownership of any property in New York including [the] apartment as of date mentioned in the notice.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021