IHC stays ZARDARI’S Indictment In suspicious transactions Case

FRAMING of charge sheet against former president Asif Ali Zardari has been stayed as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday restrained the accountability court to indict the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) cochairperson in the multi-billion rupees suspicious transaction case for two weeks.

Asif Ali Zardari has invoked the jurisdiction of Islamabad High Court against the order of the accountability court that has decided to indict the PPP co-chairman in the NAB reference of more than Rs8 billion suspicious transaction on Thursday (today).

Accountability Court Judge Syed Asghar Ali had on October 14 decided to reject the PPP co-chairman’s acquittal plea in the NAB reference of a suspicious transaction of more than Rs8 billion, however, counsel for Asif Ali Zardari has challenged the accountability court order in the IHC on Challenging the accountability court order, counsel for Zardari made Chairman NAB, Accountability Court and Federation as respondents saying the accountability court will indict his client in the case on October 28 (today).

Appearing before a division bench of the Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamer Farooq on Wednesday counsel for petitioner Farooq H Naek requested the court to declare the accountability court’s decision in the matter as void. After a brief hearing of the matter, the bench restrained the accountability court from indictment till the next hearing. It also issued notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and summoned its reply in the case within two weeks. The bench adjourned further hearing of the case for two weeks.

Earlier, Islamabad accountability court had rejected the plea filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari seeking his acquittal in the Rs 8.3 billion suspicious transaction case. The PPP co-chairman had moved the acquittal plea on the basis of the recent amendments made to the country’s accountability law.