ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Harish and Company case on Thursday, which is part of the ongoing probe of fake accounts case and money laundering case.
The monetary watchdog questioned the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman for an hour and a half.
NAB has alleged that Harish and Company was awarded a contract for water supply from the provincial Special Initiative Department but it did not do the required work on the project. Instead, the funds reserved for the project were used to meet the expenses of Naudero House, NAB claimed. It has filed a reference against Special Initiative Department former secretary Ejaz Ahmed Khan and other suspects.
NAB had noted that Harish and Company was used as a front company by Park Lane Estate which led to a loss of Rs60 million to the national exchequer.
Farooq H Naek, the lawyer for Asif Ali Zardari, said his client had nothing to do with Harish and Company. He added that the even the reference did not include the name of the former president, yet his client was summoned.
Naek further said Zardari wasn’t a director rather a shareholder in Park Lane. “Park Lane mortgaged its property and took a loan. Zardari was not aware of this. It was discovered in the JIT that the property had been mortgaged.”
Naek added that Zardari had went to the court against the directors over the decision to mortgage the property.
According to Naek, no questionnaire had been handed to Asif Ali Zardari.
On Wednesday, IHC granted interim bail to former president Asif Ali Zardari in six corruption cases that are being probed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) besides extending his bail in Park Lane and fake accounts cases till June 12 and May 22.
According to reports, the high court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case until May 30 and while his bail against the surety bond of Rs 500,000 in Opal 225 property was approved till June 12.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman, who is accused of taking vehicles from Tosha Khana and paying their import duties from fake accounts, was also granted interim bail in the case till June 20.
In a probe pertaining to suspicious transactions, Zardari’s interim bail was extended until May 21. In a probe pertaining to Harish and Company, the court adjourned the hearing until May 30.
THE CASE:
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is investigating more than 30 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July 2018 in connection with the probe.
The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed a close aide and Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August 2018.
Several ‘benami’ accounts at multiple private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.
The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
