Nawaz, Zardari and Gillani summoned in Tosha Khana case

ISLAMABAD: An accountability has summoned former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yousuf Raza Gillani, as well as former president Asif Ali Zardari to appear before it on May 29 in the Tosha Khana reference.

According to media reports, while hearing the Tosha Khana reference, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor argued that Zardari and Sharif received luxury vehicles from Gillani allegedly through unlawful means.

The Tosha Khana is a department which stores gifts given to Pakistani heads of states and premiers by other countries. According to the gift depository rules, the presidents and prime ministers have to deposit these gifts in Tosha Khana as they are the property of the state — unless sold at an open auction. The rules, however, do allow officials to retain gifts with a market value of less than Rs10,000 without paying anything.

During the hearing on Friday, the prosecutor claimed that Zardari had only paid 15 per cent of the cost of the cars, allegedly by using his fake accounts.

He also argued that Libya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had given Zardari luxury cars as gifts while he was serving as president. The NAB official alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman subsequently used these vehicles for his personal benefit, instead of submitting them to the Tosha Khana.

Nawaz Sharif got a car without any application in 2008 — when he was not holding any public office — the anti-corruption watchdog’s prosecutor claimed.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing and directed the former leaders to appear before it on May 29.

In a separate development, the accountability court granted time to NAB to submit comments in response of objections raised by Zardari against the confiscation of his house in an upscale neighbourhood of Karachi in the fake accounts case. The NAB had claimed the house was purchased in 2014 and fake accounts were used to pay the price against the property.

Judge Muhammad Bashir conducted the hearing. At NAB’s request, the court adjourned the hearing of the case until May 21.

Earlier, NAB had initiated a process to confiscate a house number in the upscale Clifton locality owned by Zardari. The accountability court while accepting NAB’s move to seize the property, allowed Zardari to file his objections, which he did.