Zardari’s remand extended for 13 days

FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court Tuesday extended the physical remand of former President Asif Ali Zardari for 13 days in the fake bank accounts and Park Lane cases.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials produced Zardari before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik on expiry of his term of remand in the fake bank accounts case and to obtain physical remand of the accused in the Park Lane case.

While arguing before the court, Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said that the same court on June 21 had granted NAB 11-day physical remand of the accused. On the same date the session of the National Assembly commenced which continued till June 29 and the accused, being a parliamentarian, attended the session following the production order issued by the National Assembly speaker, he said, adding that as a result the investigation officer (IO) could not carry out investigation.

Abbasi also informed the court that NAB has arrested Zardari in Park Lane case and also produced grounds of arrest before the court. He requested the court to grant 14-day physical remand of the accused to probe him in both the fake bank accounts and Park Lane cases.

On this, defence counsel Farooq H Naek said that the court should be informed how many investigations and inquiries are under way against Zardari. Abbasi replied that the NAB can only answer this question when the accused person’s role is ascertained in any case. “It is not possible to tell in how many cases he will be arrested,” he further said. Zardari came to rostrum and told the court that he would not oppose to long remand.

Naek said that the investigation of both the cases should be commenced simultaneously. Transparent investigation is a part of fair trial and the NAB should have proceeded with the investigations in a fair manner, he said.

The court after hearing arguments of both the prosecution and defence counsel extended Zardari’s physical remand till July 15 in both the cases.

The NAB also produced Zardari before Accountability Court-I Judge Muhammad Bashir (administrative judge) and informed him about the arrest of the accused in Park Lane case and also produced the progress report.

While talking to media persons informally inside the court, the former president condemned the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah by Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF). “Do you think he (Sanaullah) was carrying narcotics in his own vehicle?” Zardari asked. Same kind of the case had also been made against him and it took five years to get acquittal in the case, he said. When he was asked about his interview that was stopped from being aired on a private news channel, he said: “Weak people do this.”

He said that an investigation into a big scandal is under way in London involving an important person and its scope will be broadened to America. “When his party came into power, the NAB will take notice of that case,” he said. To another question about the arrest of opposition leaders, he said that he is fighting his cases and will continue doing so.