NAB challenges Zardari's acquittal in graft case

PPP co-chairman was given a clean chit on August 26 in Rawalpindi in several references

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday challenged the acquittal of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in a case pertaining to acquisition of assets through illegal means.

Zardari was acquitted on August 26 by a Rawalpindi accountability court in several references involving alleged possession of assets beyond his known sources of income. The prosecution failed to establish charges leveled against him 19 years ago during the PML-N’s second term.



 

In the references, Zardari and his slain wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, were accused of acquiring assets through illegal means and beyond their known sources of incomes.

“The most devastating aspect of the case is that the learned case, in an unprecedented manner, did not allow the prosecution to bring on record the most essential, convincing and reliable documentary evidence obtained from foreign country in the statement of the PW-38 namely Rizwan Ahmed,” reads the petition.

The appeal was filed by NAB at the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench, saying there is a wad of incriminating evidence with the bureau against the former president in the case.



“The erstwhile Ehtesaab cell found tremendous amount of documentary evidence relating to the properties, bank accounts, other movable and immovable properties acquired by the accused abroad, which in no way proportionate to declared and known assets and sources of income of the accused.”

The statement went on to add that “the learned court while ignoring these documents has in fact closed all doors for the prosecution to prove assets beyond resources held by the accused to prove assets beyond resources held by the accused or his front men abroad”.

The assets reference, along with several other references against Zardari, was closed in 2007 under the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).



The NRO – a deal signed between then military dictator General Pervez Musharraf and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto – had granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats in various cases.

In 2009, however, the Supreme Court declared NRO void ab initio and ordered revival of the cases, but by then Zardari had sworn in as President of Pakistan and had got immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution.

In 2015, NAB reopened the assets reference. However, on Saturday, the proceedings were concluded on an application filed under section 265-K (power of court to acquit accused at any stage) of the CrPC.

In December 2016, NAB challenged the acquittal saying that the trial court proceeded to decide the entire case in a hasty manner on an application filed under section 265-K without collecting the original record and documents from the office of the Supreme Court.