FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing multibillion rupee fake bank accounts case on Monday extended physical remand of former President Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur till July 8.

The officials of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Talpur, who was arrested by the anti-graft body on June 14, before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik following the expiry of her remand term.

The NAB Prosecutor Waqar Abbasi produced Talpur’s medical report as well as progress report of investigation. The prosecutor requested the court to extend the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader’s remand for another 14 days for further investigations.

At the start of the hearing Talpur came to the rostrum and told the court that she is a diabetic and suffering from high blood pressure. The judge asked the accused to take her seat and examined his medical reports.

The prosecutor further told the court that as per the accused, Zardari Group is supplying sugarcane to sugar mills. The NAB will record statements of the people whose land was acquired for sugarcane cultivation, he said, adding that accused will be confronted with these statements.

Muhammad Ali Abro, Investigation Officer (IO) of the case told the court that NAB is trying to ascertain the name of the sugar mill to which sugarcane was sold. Talpur stated that the amount would come under the head of sugarcane payments. “We are trying to verify the statement of Talpur,” he said.

Defence counsel Latif Khosa said that NAB did not take action against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan. The NAB is just making stories, he said. He said that Talpur’s shares in Zardari Group are less than one percent. “Talpur has no role in Park Lane Estate,” he added.

While objecting to the NAB’s request, Farooq H Naek, another defence counsel said that NAB has arrested Talpur in fake bank account case. “What is the link of this case with land?” he asked.

Earlier, the hearing of the case was delayed and started around 1:30pm.

Senator Sehar Kamran while quoting the IO of the case said that the production of the accused before the court was delayed as the car in which Talpur has to be shifted from subjail to the court has developed some mechanical problem. As per the IO, as soon as arrangement for another vehicle was made, she was produced before the court, she said.

During the hearing, the court ordered security personnel to oust Member of Sindh Assembly Lal Chand for making noise in the courtroom. The judge asked who is making noise. “Are you not ashamed of making noise in the courtroom,” the judge asked Lal Chand and said the security personnel to expel him from the courtroom. “They are coming to the court for making noise,” he further said.

The court after hearing arguments of both the parties extended the physical remand of Talpur for 14 days.

The city police deployed heavy contingents of police in and outside of court as well as along the road leading to the accountability court in order to avert any untoward incident.