KARACHI: The interim pre-arrest bail of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the mega money laundering case was extended till January 7, 2019, by a banking court on Friday.
Senior party leaders, including Khursheed Shah and Rehman Malik, accompanied by PPP workers waited outside the premises as Zardari and Talpur appeared before the court.
The interim bail previously granted to the duo had ended on Friday.
On Thursday, sections of media revealed the findings of the report prepared by the SC-mandated joint investigation team (JIT) on fake accounts scam which claimed the involvement of several bigwigs in the case.
The report, which carries profiles of over 70 key accused and details of their assets parked abroad, will be presented to the apex court on Monday.
Similarly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday moved a reference in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Sindh seeking the disqualification of Zardari for not declaring an apartment that he owns in the United States in his nomination papers for 2018 general elections.
PTI Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Khurram Sher Zaman filed the reference, requesting the election watchdog to disqualify the former head of state as a member of the National Assembly for concealing an apartment he allegedly owns in Belaire Condominiums located at 524 East 72nd Street, New York, New York, USA, in his nomination form for the 2018 general elections.
Although ECP Sindh Commissioner Yousaf Khan Khattak reluctantly accepted Zaman’s application, he informed the PTI MPA that any action on the petition would be taken by the ECP’s Islamabad headquarters.
MONEY LAUNDERING CASE:
The case was initially registered in 2015 against former Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE) chairman Hussain Lawai, who is widely believed to be close to former president Zardari.
In July, Lawai was arrested in connection with the probe along with Anwar Majeed, and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed, were also arrested by the FIA. Lawai, Majeed and his son remain under custody for interrogation.
Investigations so far have revealed that several ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made.
The amount, according to the FIA, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
