Fake accounts case: Zardari appears before NAB, gets questionnaire

ISLAMABAD: Former president and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Thursday appeared before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi in a fake bank account scam with relates to Harish and Company.

The CIT of the NAB Rawalpindi interrogated Asif Zardari in Harish and company and handed him over a questionnaire. Before appearance at the NAB, Zardari got interim bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The questionnaire handed over to Zardari included questions in three different cases that include Joint Venture Opel 225, Agriculture Income and Harish and Company. Zardari was asked to submit reply by May 26.

When contacted, Senator Farooq H Naek, legal counsel of Zardari, confirmed that the CIT of the NAB handed over questions in three cases.

Farooq Naek rejected the NAB allegations on the former president. He said Zardari had nothing to do with Harish and Company and fake accounts. “Even the reference did not include the name of the former president, yet his client was summoned,” he said.

He said Zardari was not a director in the Park Lane Estate Pvt Ltd and the other directors of the company have taken the loan and Zardari was not aware of it.

Naek said it was easy to accuse anyone and defame him, but proving the allegation is difficult.

He said so far only one reference against Zardari was filed despite the fact that he did not have any role in the fake bank accounts scam. “The NAB also has not filed any reference against Asif Ali Zardari except in fake bank accounts scam,” he said.

Naek said Zardari was being subjected to political victimisation. He said construction agreement with Bahria Town is a civil agreement and that has nothing to do with misuse of powers. He said no loss was done to the national exchequer through this agreement.

Zardari’s counsel said the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was innocent and all the cases were fabricated against him. “Bilawal did not have any role in the fake bank accounts scam,” he said. He said Bilawal was receiving notices on wrong basis. He said Bilawal will get out of the cases as he is innocent.

Naek said Bilawal was busy in his study in 2011, he was abroad, and he had no role in business activities. Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur were granted an extension in their pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday in six different cases pending in the NAB.