Zardari graft cases: NAB replaces prosecutor in all four references
Adnan Tahir granted as much time as needed to prepare
PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The country’s top anti-graft body on Monday replaced the prosecutor in all four corruption references pending against former president Asif Ali Zardari in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Adnan Tahir has replaced Chaudhry Riaz Ahmad and sought time from the division bench, comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah, for preparation. The bench allowed Tahir to take as much time as he needed, and told him to consult with Ahmad regarding the questions posed to the former prosecutor during the cases.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has challenged Zardari’s acquittal in SGS, Cotecna, ARY Gold and Ursus tractors cases.
The ex-president was acquitted in all four references after the prosecution could not establish its cases before the accountability court.
The SGS corruption case is the continuance of a reference filed in 1997 that accused Benazir Bhutto and her husband Zardari to have benefited from a contract between SGS – a Swiss inspection, verification, testing and certification company – and the government.
The Cotecna case is about the award of a contract to the Swiss company after allegedly receiving 6% bribe on the revenue proceeds.
The ARY Gold reference relates to alleged illegal granting of licences to ARY traders for import of gold and silver, which inflicted a loss of nearly Rs18.2 million to the public exchequer. The Ursus tractors case pertains to the alleged misappropriation in purchase of 5,900 Polish and Russian tractors at a cost of Rs150,000 each for a tractor scheme launched by the Pakistan Peoples Party government. On November 24, the accountability court acquitted Zardari in the SGS and Cotecna cases after the original documents could not be produced before the court.
In SGS and Cotecna appeals, NAB said the accountability court concluded trial without following due procedure.
NAB added that the trial court proceeded to decide the cases in a hasty manner on an application filed under Section 265-K (power of the court to acquit the accused at any stage), without collecting the original record and documents from the office of the Supreme Court.
In the petition, the NAB prosecutor general accountability maintained that the registrar (judicial) of the Lahore High Court in his letter dated February 19, 2000 clearly stated that the original record of the SGS case, along with other documents, was sent to the apex court in an appeal filed by the accused.
In ARY Gold and Ursus tractors appeals, NAB maintained that Zardari was acquitted because witnesses did not appear, and evidence could not be produced before the court.
To this, the court remarked that NAB had the chance to produce witnesses and evidence during the trial, adding that non-bailable warrants should have been sought against those who refused to testify.
Accepting the newly-appointed prosecutor’s request, the court adjourned the cases.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2016.
The country’s top anti-graft body on Monday replaced the prosecutor in all four corruption references pending against former president Asif Ali Zardari in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Adnan Tahir has replaced Chaudhry Riaz Ahmad and sought time from the division bench, comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah, for preparation. The bench allowed Tahir to take as much time as he needed, and told him to consult with Ahmad regarding the questions posed to the former prosecutor during the cases.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has challenged Zardari’s acquittal in SGS, Cotecna, ARY Gold and Ursus tractors cases.
The ex-president was acquitted in all four references after the prosecution could not establish its cases before the accountability court.
The SGS corruption case is the continuance of a reference filed in 1997 that accused Benazir Bhutto and her husband Zardari to have benefited from a contract between SGS – a Swiss inspection, verification, testing and certification company – and the government.
The Cotecna case is about the award of a contract to the Swiss company after allegedly receiving 6% bribe on the revenue proceeds.
The ARY Gold reference relates to alleged illegal granting of licences to ARY traders for import of gold and silver, which inflicted a loss of nearly Rs18.2 million to the public exchequer. The Ursus tractors case pertains to the alleged misappropriation in purchase of 5,900 Polish and Russian tractors at a cost of Rs150,000 each for a tractor scheme launched by the Pakistan Peoples Party government. On November 24, the accountability court acquitted Zardari in the SGS and Cotecna cases after the original documents could not be produced before the court.
In SGS and Cotecna appeals, NAB said the accountability court concluded trial without following due procedure.
NAB added that the trial court proceeded to decide the cases in a hasty manner on an application filed under Section 265-K (power of the court to acquit the accused at any stage), without collecting the original record and documents from the office of the Supreme Court.
In the petition, the NAB prosecutor general accountability maintained that the registrar (judicial) of the Lahore High Court in his letter dated February 19, 2000 clearly stated that the original record of the SGS case, along with other documents, was sent to the apex court in an appeal filed by the accused.
In ARY Gold and Ursus tractors appeals, NAB maintained that Zardari was acquitted because witnesses did not appear, and evidence could not be produced before the court.
To this, the court remarked that NAB had the chance to produce witnesses and evidence during the trial, adding that non-bailable warrants should have been sought against those who refused to testify.
Accepting the newly-appointed prosecutor’s request, the court adjourned the cases.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2016.