IHC accepts Zardari’s request to withdraw acquittal plea

Lawyer also asks court to lift restraining order in Rs8b suspicious transaction case

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court on Thursday accepted PPP co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s request to withdraw his acquittal appeal in the Rs8 billion suspicious transaction reference.

A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq was hearing the matter.

Shiraz Rajpar, the assistant to Zardari’s main lawyer Farooq H Naek, told the court that his client wanted to withdraw the appeal.

The junior lawyer also asked the bench to lift the restraining order on the case's proceedings by an accountability court.

The IHC accepted Zardari’s request.

Last year, an accountability court had rejected Zardari’s petition for withdrawal of his acquittal plea in a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The PPP leader had challenged the accountability court’s order in the IHC.

In an earlier hearing at the accountability court, Naek had told the judge that there was no charge of causing loss to the national kitty or the allegations of abuse of power or money laundering in this case. He added that Rs8 billion suspicious transaction in the case was a private deal, which no longer fell under NAB’s jurisdiction.

Talking to reporters, Naek said earlier he had filed an application on behalf of Zardari before the court under Section 265-D, seeking his client’s acquittal. However, he added that the court had turned it down.

He said Zardari had bought House No F-33, block-04 in the Clifton area of Karachi for a sum Rs150 million, but not as a holder of public office.

Zardari, he maintained, had purchased the property as a private person and had no relation with the government account

“It was a private civil transaction between the seller and the purchaser.” he added.

According to the reference, Mushtaq Ahmed, a former stenographer of the presidency, had opened a joint account with a private housing society. The account had been used for depositing corruption and money laundering money, the reference added.

It read there was concrete evidence that Zardari had purchased a house in the Clifton area of Karachi through corruption money. It also stated that the stenographer, Ahmed had made payment for Zardari’s Clifton house.

An amount of Rs150 million was paid to one Ahmad Abdul Bari against the property, which was transferred in the name of Zardari from the account of Ahmed.