Money laundering case: Banking court extends Zardari’s bail till Feb 14

The interim pre-arrest bail of former President Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the money-laundering of Rs35 billion through fake accounts case was once again extended by a banking court on Wednesday.

The former president, his sister and others accused in the case appeared before the court today. During the hearing, the court was informed by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) counsel that the case was handed over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and now being conducted by it.

Lawyer of Omni Group Chairman Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed requested the court to release his clients on bail. The request was opposed by the FIA counsel. Their lawyer also asked that the FIA present a final chalan ( final charge-sheet) of the case.

Extending the interim bail of Zardari, Talpur and other suspects till February 14, the banking court has also adjourned the case proceedings of the money-laundering case, local media reported.

A day earlier, NAB, who had been tasked to probe into the fake accounts case by the Supreme Court, decided to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT). The JIT will be headed by Director General NAB Rawalpindi Irfan Mangi and will be overseen by NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal.