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ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has adjourned the hearing of the Park Lane reference filed against former president Asif Ali Zardari till 6th July.
During today’s hearing, the charges against the accused could not be filed and the court summoned him to appear before the bench. The court has also instructed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to make arrangements for filling the charges.
During the last hearing earlier in June, Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naik submitted exemption pleas on behalf of the former president and his sister Faryal Talpur from appearing before the court due to the prevalent coronavirus situation in the country.
To this Judge Azam Khan said that social distancing would be maintained in the courtroom. Naik said that due to a large number of lawyers present in the courtroom, maintaining social distance would not be possible.
The Park Lane reference has been registered against Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur under different sections of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.
Zardari has been charged by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The bureau claimed that he has been allegedly running a fake front company by the name of Parathon as a shareholder in Park Lane properties.
Additionally, a loan worth Rs 1.5 billion was taken out from the bank and transferred to the company account in a private bank. According to the NAB, Zardari forged documents to comply with the loan policy.
Zardari was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in December last year on medical grounds in the Park Lane and mega-money laundering corruption reference against surety bonds worth Rs10 million.
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