ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari, on Wednesday, challenged the Thatta Water Supply case against him and others under the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2021.

The Accountability Court-II Judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while hearing the case against Zardari, Ejaz Ahmad Khan and others regarding award of illegal contract of Thatta water supply scheme to Harish & Company issued notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and sought the bureau’s reply on Zardari acquittal application till November 18.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that the NAB has so far not received Gazette notification of the National Accountability (third amendment) Ordinance 2021. During the hearing, the judge said that the delay in the Gazette notification of the NAB (Third Amendment) Ordinance has affected court proceedings.

The anti-graft body nominated Zardari and 13 other suspects in the supplementary filed in connection with Thatta water supply scam.

The bureau had not nominated Zardari in the interim reference and AshfaqLeghari and In-charge Naudero House Nadeem Bhutto in the interim 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 SiddiqSulemani, and Zeeshan Hasan Yousaf, a private contractor Harish, CEO Omni Group Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, and Minahal Majeed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021