Zardari likely to be indicted in gifts case today

Former president arrives in Islamabad along with daughter Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari

ISLAMABAD:

An accountability court is likely to indict former president Asif Ali Zardari in a gift repository – Toshakhana – case today (Wednesday).

Zardari – who is also the supreme leader of the PPP – has arrived in Islamabad along with his daughter Aseefa Bhutto and will hold consultation with his legal team ahead of the hearing, said a source.

The former president had also attended the last hearing of the case, held on August 17 amid unusually heightened security. Earlier, Islamabad’s Accountability Court-III Judge Asghar Ali had issued bailabale arrest warrants for the former president due to his continued absence from the court.

The PPP leader had requested the court to allow him to attend hearing of the case through video link, citing his chronic illnesses and the fear of contagious coronavirus pandemic. The court had, however, rejected the request.

In the Toshakhana case reference, Zardari and former prime ministers – Nawaz Sharif and Yousuf Raza Gilani – have been accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of illegally using luxury vehicles and gifts from the gift depository.

The anti-corruption body maintained that evidence collected during the course of inquiry and investigation established that Gilani had, in order to extend benefit to Zardari and Nawaz, illegally allowed the retention of vehicles gifted to them by different foreign states and dignitaries.

According to the bureau, Zardari had received expensive cars as a gift from Libya and the UAE when he was the president but he did not deposit them in the Toshakhana after the end of his tenure.

At the last hearing, the NAB prosecutor told the court that the bureau had decided to seize the vehicles of Zardari and Nawaz. Two BMWs and a Lexus were allegedly in the custody of the former president and a Mercedes was still in use by the former premier.

Separately, an accountability court on Tuesday granted more time to the former president's counsel to present arguments in a case pertaining to confiscation of one of his houses situated at Clifton in Karachi by NAB in a fake accounts case.

Zardari's counsel Farooq H Naek appeared before Islamabad Accountability Court -I Judge Muhammad Bashir and requested him to grant some more time for presenting arguments. The court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing till September 17.

The court also granted time to NAB to file a supplementary reference in a matter pertaining to illegal allotment of Karachi’s Bagh Ibne Qasim's plot.

The NAB investigation officer informed the court that the process for filing a supplementary reference was under way and requested it to grant more time in this regard.

The court also further remanded two accused in the case –including Karachi Parks former director general Laiqat Qaimkhani and Dr Dinshaw – in judicial custody till October 6.

Islamabad Accountability Court-II Judge Azam Khan also adjourned hearing till September 17 of Zardari's petition seeking termination of Thatha Water Supply reference that is also related to the fake accounts case.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP