Two fake accounts suspects given in NAB custody

Nadeem Bhutto was arrested from Naudero's Bhutto House on Sunday night

ISLAMABAD: Two suspects in the fake accounts case were remanded in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) custody for 14 days on Tuesday.

NAB presented Nadeem Bhutto – the Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Al Zardari’s employee who looks after the Bhutto House in Larkana – before the Accountability Court-2 of Judge Arshad Malik and sought his 14-day custody.

NAB prosecutor told the court that the suspect was arrested a day earlier and the investigators wanted to quiz him in order to collect evidence as Rs7.45 million had been deposited in his bank account.
Responding to the court's query, Bhutto said he was working as in-charge of the Bhutto House and former president Zardari used to transfer money in his account. “My bank account is genuine and not a fake account,” he said.

The court asked the suspect to explain the amount deposited in his account. “The money that was deposited into the account was instantly used to pay bills,” Bhutto said.

The court asked if the expenses of the premises account for the money deposited. The suspect said the Bhutto House is a big premises and the expenses are justified. The court said since the money was found in his account, he would be held accountable for it. Later, it remanded him in NAB’s custody till May 6.

Separately, NAB presented another suspect Jamil Baloch at Islamabad’s Accountability Court -1 of Judge Muhammad Bashir and also sought his 14-day remand.

The NAB's prosecutor said Jamil was involved in illegal allotment of Bagh Ibne Qasim land while working as deputy director for land acquisition. Galaxy Tower initially had 9,436 square yards of land but it was allotted a total space of 17,336 square yards – the additional land being part of Bagh Ibne Qasim.

The investigation officer said the plot was the one which an accountability court in Islamabad had seized in a 1999 benami property case against Asif Ali Zardari. The court while ordering physical remand of the suspect also allowed his family to visit him.