Asif Zardari’s plea for dismissal of three supplementary references rejected

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad has rejected former president Asif Zardari's pleas for dismissal of supplementary references filed in Park Lane, Mega Money Laundering and Thatta Water Supply cases.

Judge Azam Khan of the Islamabad Accountability Court announced the verdict today which was earlier reserved on the petitions filed by the PPP co-chairman.

The court ruled that the PPP leader cannot be acquitted in references pertaining to fake bank accounts.

Asif Zardari’s counsel, Farooq H Naek, had submitted the petitions stating that under the law the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) can not file supplementary references and pleaded the court to dismiss them.

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While rejecting the pleas, the court ruled that the trial should continue and summoned all the accused on September 28.

The former president had challenged the filing of supplementary reference in the Park Lane case earlier this month when the court  summoned him for the indictment.

The prosecutor for the anti-graft watchdog, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, had objected to the fresh application before indictment in the case, saying they were asking for time to prepare their own petition.

“I am ready to present arguments on it, why aren’t they? We have not filed any supplementary reference in the money laundering case," Abbasi had said.

"The case was transferred from Karachi so he had filed a reference after his interrogation," he maintained.

Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) extended Asif Zardari’s bail till October 15.

A two member-bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the petition.

During the proceedings, NAB informed the court that Zardari’s arrest warrants were in the process. On this, the bench said the NAB can file fresh comments in response to the bail plea.

After the arguments were concluded, the court extended the bail till October 15.