Fake accounts case: Sindh chief secretary summoned over failure to present suspects before court

Meanwhile, Talpur files pre-arrest bail application as NAB summons her on Wednesday

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday issued notice to Sindh chief secretary over failure to present suspects in the fake accounts case before the court.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur, Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed, former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairperson Lawai, Summit Bank Senior Vice-President Taha Raza are among those being investigated for alleged money laundering of billions through fictitious bank accounts. The matter is also being heard by the Supreme Court.

The case was forwarded to the Islamabad accountability court after a Karachi banking court accepted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s request to transfer the fake accounts case to the federal capital. The bureau filed the transfer appeal following the Supreme Court’s decision in the case wherein the joint investigation team (JIT) report and evidence collected was referred to the bureau for further investigations.



During the hearing, four suspects were presented before the court. Judge Arshad Malik issued bailable arrest warrants for the suspects and inquired about the others who had failed to appear. "The suspects jailed in Karachi are not present in the court,” said NAB prosecutor Sardar Manzoor Abbasi. “We have sent a letter of reminder to the Sindh government over the issue.”

He also appraised the bench on the matter of two approvers. “NAB Rawalpindi has received applications from Noreen Sultan and Kiran Aftab seeking to become approvers in the fake accounts case. The request is under process.”

Meanwhile, the anti-graft watchdog has summoned Talpur in a joint ventures case on Wednesday.

Fearing arrest, the PPP lawmaker has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking pre-arrest bail.



The petition says that Talpur is a seasoned politician of the largest political party in Pakistan viz the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), has served as a mayor of Nawabshah and is a serving MPA in Sindh Assembly.

It added that the call up notice under section 19 of the NAO has been issued “with sole malafide intention and ulterior motives to detain and arrest petitioner”.

“The petitioner is innocent and the call up notice has been issued to her by the respondent no.2 [Director NAB] under instructions from higher authorities with malafide intentions and ulterior motives to politically victimize her due to political rivalry and in order to humiliate, harass and dishonor the petitioner and cause irreparable damage to her name and reputation In particular before her family members, party workers, colleagues, voters and public at large,” claims the application.