Khudayar Mohla –
The Islamabad High Court on Thursday granted pre-arrest bail to former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till April 10 in the mega money laundering and fake accounts case.
While accepting the bail applications in the matter, a division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq asked Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to furnish surety bail bonds of one million rupees each in four of his petitions. However, Zardari requested the bench to permit him deposit amount in form term of cash which the bench accepted. Meanwhile, Faryal Talpur was directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs1 million.
On March 27, making NAB Chairman Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal and Deputy Director Muhammad Kamran as respondents, Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur has invoked the IHC jurisdiction seeking pre-arrest bail in the matter as National Accountability Bureau probing into fake accounts case where Zardari has been accused of involvement in the case.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is probing into money laundering from fictitious accounts and investigating as many as 32 people including Zardari and Talpur whereas Hussain Lawai, close aid of Asif Ali Zardari had been apprehended during July last year in the matter.
FIA has also arrested former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed, Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani during August 2018.
According to reports, over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made.
It has been claimed that the amount in the accounts was black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes
It is pertinent to mention that on January 7 this year, the top court had issued directives to the NAB to probe into the matter in two months. Besides, the case is being investigated in Rawalpindi as investigations were shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi in response to the Supreme Court directives.
