Accountability Court returns Zardari’s references to NAB 

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad accountability court has ordered that references filed against former President Asif Ali Zardari in the ongoing fake accounts case are to be sent back to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). 

Heard by judge Muhammad Bashir, the case was originally opened against Zardari’s close associate Hussain Lawai, with further charges leveled against Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, and others accused of laundering money through 29 fake bank accounts registered at Sindh Bank, Summit Bank, and United Bank Limited.

In this most recent development, the defendants’ lawyer Farooq H Naek argued before NAB prosecutors that the references are no longer within court jurisdiction after the NAB Amendment Bill 2023 came into effect on 15 May.

In response, the court has ordered several references of various cases to be sent back to NAB including the money laundering case against the former president among others.

A plot allotment reference against Munawar Qadeer and others, and a Sindh Bank reference against Bilal Sheikh and others have also been returned to NAB. The accountability court also returned back a reference regarding the Pink Residency corruption case.