Accountability court sends back Thattha water supply & fake accounts references against Asif Zardari & others to NAB

ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (SABAH): An Islamabad accountability court on Thursday sent back the Thattha water supply and fake accounts references against Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari, Dr. Faryar Talpur and others to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) citing a lack of jurisdiction.

During the hearing, Asif Zardari’s counsel Senator Farooq Hamid Naek said his client Asif Zardari was facing charges of Rs30 million corruption, adding that the NAB could not prove the allegations so far. He said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had not even sent the case to the anti-graft watchdog.

He further argued that the case no more fell in the jurisdiction of the accountability court after amendments in the NAB law as the amount involving in it was below Rs5 billion. He pleaded the court to sent back the reference to the NAB. “The court must give a verdict according to the law,” he appealed to the judge.

After hearing arguments, administrative judge Rana Nasir Javed ruled that the case should be referred to the relevant forum and sent back references to the accountability watchdog.