High court questions maintainability of bail plea of Zardari Group’s tax consultant

CJ remarked that the case be transferred to Islamabad as it’s related to fake accounts case

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) sought arguments on May 7 from the petitioner's counsel over the maintainability of the bail plea filed by Zardari Group's tax consultant, Javed Alvi, in the case pertaining to fake accounts.

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Ahmed Ali Sheikh and comprising Justice Omar Sial was hearing Javed Alvi's bail plea on Friday.

CJ Sheikh remarked that this case was related to fake accounts. Counsel for the accused, Javed Aksi, maintained that it was a fake case.

"Who accepts that he has committed a crime? This case should be transferred to Islamabad as it is a fake accounts case," remarked CJ Sheikh.

The petitioner's counsel argued that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had issued the call-up notice to the accused from Karachi and the notice did not mention the fake accounts case.

CJ Sheikh said that every call-up notice of the fake accounts case does not state that it is related to the fake accounts case.

The court sought arguments from the counsel over the maintainability of the plea on May 7.

Illegal assets

The same bench sought progress report from NAB on May 20 in the inquiry against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Ghulam Qadir Palijo pertaining to illegal assets.

NAB officials said that the case had been forwarded to the headquarters for approval to close the inquiry but no response has been received yet. CJ Sheikh asked if the court needed to summon the prosecutor-general.

Court sought a progress report from NAB on May 20.

Parveen Rehman case

SHC summoned the Sindh prosecutor-general on May 15 in the murder case of Orangi Pilot Project director Parveen Rehman.

The same bench heard the bail pleas of Imran Swati and three other accused on Friday.

CJ Sheikh said that the Supreme Court had ordered to form a joint-investigation team (JIT). "Mention the findings gathered by the JIT," he said. The counsel for the accused argued that the JIT had been formed thrice before. The accused have been in jail for the past four years, he added.

CJ Sheikh remarked that the court wanted to know about the findings of the JIT.

The court summoned the Sindh prosecutor-general on May 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2019.