Nawaz files plea for acquittal in Toshakhana reference

Court adjourns hearing until June 3

ISLAMABAD:

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif filed a plea on Tuesday for acquittal in the Toshakhana case in an accountability court in Islamabad. 

The petition was submitted by Nawaz's counsel Rana Muhammad Arif Khan. Among those accused in the case are President Asif Ali Zardari, who has presidential immunity now and former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani.

The prosecutor representing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) stated in court that he would forward the application to NAB headquarters. 

Read Nawaz submits replies in luxury car case

The court issued notices on Nawaz’s petition for May 23 and adjourned the hearing till June 3.

Earlier this month, NAB gave a clean chit to the PML-N supremo in a reference related to the acquisition of a luxury vehicle from the Toshakhana (gift repository).

The anti-graft body submitted a report that read that the Supreme Court had passed instructions to investigate an alleged fake account associated with Nawaz. Furthermore, the PML-N supremo did not utilize funds from the alleged account to pay for the vehicle acquired from the Toshakhana.

Also read Court restores Nawaz’s seized assets

The report by the country’s graft buster further read that the vehicle gifted to the then-premier by Saudi Arabia was relinquished to Toshakhana in 1997. It clarified that in 2008 when it was bought by Nawaz, it was no longer under the ownership of the Toshakhana but that of the federal transport pool.

“This case may attract any other offense but it has no relevancy with the benefit of Toshakhana as the subject vehicle when purchased was not part of Toshakhana, rather than the same was part of the federal transport pool,” it read.