ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought the complete record from an accountability court over the appeal of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) challenging the acquittal of former president Asif Ali Zardari in two past corruption references.A divisional bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, conducted a hearing on NAB appeals against Zardari’s acquittal in those two cases. During the course of the proceedings, NAB prosecutor Jahanzeb Bharwana argued the trial court ignored evidence in the references.He contended the court had sought the verified record of the cases on April 21, 2016 but it had not been produced so far. Bharwana said the trial court had stated in its decision that it would be “a waste of time” to carry on with the proceedings in these references. He added the trial court was not supposed to hear the acquittal plea without recording the prosecution evidence.Justice Minallah asked why the trial court heard the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman’s acquittal plea. To this, the NAB prosecutor said it would be better if the cases record was summoned from the trial court. At this, the bench sought complete record of cases and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite time.It may be mentioned here that one of references pertained to the alleged misappropriation in the purchase of 5,900 Russian and Polish tractors under the then Awami Tractor Scheme launched in 1994.The tractors purchase deal allegedly caused a loss of millions to the ADBP and over a billion rupees in losses to the State Bank of Pakistan. The second reference pertained to alleged grant of licences to a business for the import of gold and silver that reportedly caused losses to the public exchequer amounting to millions.
04-19-2019, 08:41 PM
Zardari?s acquittal: IHC seeks cases record over NAB?s plea
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