Zardari, Gillani summoned in gifts case

An accountability court in Islamabad has summoned former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani on October 24 in connection with a case related to allegedly illegal use of the state’s gift repository, Toshakhana during the PPP’s rule between 2008 to 2013.

The administrative judge at Islamabad’s Accountability Court-3, Muhammad Bashir, on Wednesday issued summons for the two politicians, ordering them to appear in the court in person.

In 2020, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against Zardari, Gillani and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

It accused former PM Gillani of extending illegal benefits to Zardari and Nawaz by allowing them to retain three luxury vehicles presented as gifts by foreign dignitaries. NAB claimed that Gillani relaxed procedures related to submission of gifts in the Toshakhana to favor the politicians.

It said the accused “through dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest” retained the vehicles "against a nominal payment of 15 percent of the total value”.

It added that Zardari made the payments for the vehicles through bank accounts of the Omni Group chief executive and his son “for which he has no plausible justification.”

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“It was established during investigation that these amounts are in the context of illegitimate laundered proceeds for the benefit of the accused,” the reference read.

The reference said that Gilani, in connivance with Zardari and Nawaz, “dishonestly and illegally relaxed the procedure for the acceptance and disposal of gifts […] which stipulate that vehicles shall not be allowed to be purchased by the recipients”.

“The accused [Gilani] floated and suppressed the law and the procedure to grant undue concession, and benefits resulting in wrongful loss to the national exchequer,” the reference added.

Interestingly, an accountability court on December 21, 2022 returned the reference to the national graft buster in view of the amendments made to the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 by the last PML-N led coalition government.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan, however, struck down sections of NAB law amendments on September 15, 2023 paving way for revival of dozens of references, inquiries and investigations against politicians of almost all major political parties.