NAB names Nawaz, Zardari, Gilani in Toshakhana reference

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday filed the Toshakhana reference in an accountability court against high-profile suspects, including two former prime ministers and a former president. 

NAB named former president Asif Ali Zardari, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as suspects in the case, reported Geo News. 

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Zardari and Gilani hail from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), while Sharif is the de-facto leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Khawaja Anwar Majeed and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed, the the owners of the Omni group were also named as suspects in the reference. 

The Omni group owners are also involved in the fake bank accounts scam being investigated by NAB. 

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According to the accountability bureau, former president Zardari and former premier Sharif obtained cars from the Toshakana by paying 15 per cent of the price of the cars. 

The bureau further alleged that former premier Gilani facilitated Zardari and Nawaz in this regard.  Sharif and Zardari are currently out on bail in other corruption cases against them.

The reference filed by NAB alleges that Zardari was gifted luxury cars by the governments of Libya and United Arab Emirates, and he used them instead of submitting them to the Toshakhana. 

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The accountability watchdog claimed that former premier Nawaz was given a car from the Toshakhana by the PPP government in 2008 despite the fact that he did not hold any official position in the government. 

NAB has requested the court to conduct a trial and sentence the accused to the strictest possible jail terms under the NAB Ordinance for their involvement in the corruption scam.