Zardari remanded to NAB for 11 more days

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Friday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a further 11-day physical remand of former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in the fake accounts case.

Accountability Court-I Judge Muhammad Bashir directed the NAB officials to produce Zardari again when the his physical remand ends on July 2. The NAB officials produced the former president before the court amid elaborate security and requested the judge to grant a 14-day physical remand.

During the hearing, NAB Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi informed the court regarding the development in investigation from PPP’s co-chairman in fake accounts case. At that time Zardari arrived at the court rostrum.

His counsel Latif Khosa informed the court that his client just wanted to listen what NAB had generated against him in the report. The NAB prosecutor said the department had not generated anything itself rather it was apprising the court of the things surfaced during the investigation. He argued that Zardari had admitted his close ties with a proclaimed offender, but he did not accept the said accused had been his front-man. The NAB requested the court to grant it further 14-day physical remand of the accused.

At this, Zardari said: “Why not?” He added that NAB should obtain a 90-day physical remand all at once. Khosa opposed the NAB request and said the defence did not know why accountability watchdog was demanding physical remand again and again.