Tosha Khana case: Non-bailable arrest warrants issued for Nawaz Sharif

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif over his continuous absence from the Tosha Khana case proceedings.

On May 30, the court had issued bailable arrest warrants for the former prime minister for skipping hearings in the reference pertaining to the alleged receipt of luxury vehicles from the Tosha Khana by the former prime minister and former president Asif Ali Zardari during the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) regime. Sharif has been in London for medical treatment since November last year.

While hearing the case on Thursday, the judge asked the reason for Zardari’s absence, and later accepted the PPP co-chairman’s petition to be exempted from appearing. Zardari has to appear in the court at least once, the judge remarked.

Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani was present in the court. Gillani filed an exemption plea, stating that he is unable to appear in the court repeatedly due to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the National Accountability Bureau prosecutor, Zardari and Sharif allegedly received luxury vehicles during then prime minister Gillani’s administration illegally and used those cars in an unofficial capacity instead of submitting them to the Tosha Khana.

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 any gifts they receive in the Tosha Khana as they are the property of the state — unless the gifts are 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.

The NAB also alleges that Zardari paid only 15 per cent cost of the cars by using his fake accounts, while the rulers of Libya and the United Arab Emirates also gifted him cars when he was serving as president.

The anti-corruption watchdog’s prosecutor claimed that Sharif got a vehicle without any application in 2008 when he was not holding any public office.