NAB withdraws appeals against Zardari’s acquittal

Anti-graft body says only photocopies of documents available

ISLAMABAD:

In a major development, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to withdraw its four appeals against PPP Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s acquittal in 25-year-old references.

A bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah will hear the case on Thursday (today).

The accountability watchdog filed four separate petitions in the high court to withdraw its appeals in the Ursus Tractors, ARY Gold, SGS Cotecna, and Polo Ground references.

In its application, the anti-graft body adopted the stance that only photocopies of documents in references against Zardari were on record, noting that further prosecution would be a futile exercise.

It was said that the available documentary evidence was not in accordance with the law, therefore, to fulfil the requirements of justice, appeals against the acquittal of the PPP co-chairman in NAB references should be allowed to be withdrawn.

In 2015, an accountability court, instead of giving the verdict, had accepted the former president’s pleas after completing the hearing on the reference and ordered his acquittal.

Zardari was acquitted in the ARY gold reference on December 12, 2014, over a decade after, initially, the case was filed in 1998. Similarly, he was acquitted in Ursus Tractors reference the same day and Cotecna reference on November 24, 2015.

NAB had challenged the acquittal before the high court.

Last month, the IHC had given the anti-graft body up till October 20 to review the cases against Zardari's acquittal in the 25-year-old cases under the new law.

A two-judge bench headed by IHC CJ Minallah conducted the hearing.

NAB told the court that its prosecutor general would decide the future of the cases in a week.

Giving respite to NAB, the court adjourned the proceedings until October 20.

Besides, NAB had sought the opinion of the law ministry on the old cases.

However, the ministry declined to comment and asked NAB to decide on its own.