ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court (AC), on Thursday, summoned former president Asif Ali Zardari and other accused in the Park Lane case on December 20.

Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir, while hearing the case, issued summons to Zardari and other accused in the case involving allegations of money laundering and misuse of authority in the Park Lane reference to appear before it on December 20.

Defence counsel Arshad Tabrez, during the hearing, said that when the agreement had been signed, Zardari was not Park Lane’s director.

The judge said that “now he is issuing notices.”

“You give arguments on the next hearing,” the judge said.

The same court like other cases against Zardari had sent back to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in view of the amendments made by the previous coalition government to the NAB law.

However, following the Supreme Court’s judgment, in which, the apex court struck down amendments made to the NAB accountability law

had filed an application before the Accountability Court to reopen 81 corruption cases.

The bureau has filed an application before the Accountability Court to reopen 81 corruption references including corruption cases of former president Asif Ali Zardari, former prime ministers, Nawaz Sharif, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, and Raja Parvez Ashraf as well as other high-profile persons.

The Accountability Court in 2022 indicted the former president and others in a case involving allegations of money laundering and misuse of authority in the Park Lane reference.

Those who were nominated by the NAB in the supplementary reference filed in connection with the Park Lane case included, Zardari, Muhammad Iqbal Memon, director Park Lane Company, M/s Park Lane Estate (Private) Limited, Muhammad Iqbal Khan Noori director M/s Parthenon (Pvt) Ltd, Muhammad Hanif Accountant M/s Park Lane Estate, M/s Parthenon (Pvt) Limited, an incorporated entity bearing certificate of incorporation under the provision of the Companies Ordinance, 1984, and Hussain Lawai, former president Arif Habib Bank, and the Summit Bank.

The other accused included Abdul Ghani Majid, shareholder/director Regent Service (Pvt) Ltd multiple companies known as Omni Group, Khawaja Anwar Majid shareholder director Omni Group, Taha Raza public relationship manager Arif Habib Bank now Summit Bank, Farooq Abdullah area branch manager HBL, Uzair Naeem former AVP Summit Bank, M/s Tracom (Pvt) Ltd through GM South -

an incorporated entity bearing certificate of incorporation under the provision of the companies office, Muhammad Saleem Faisal General Manager (GM) M/s Tracom (Pvt) Limited, and Zahir Ismail.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

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