Park Lane reference: AC indicts Zardari through video link in absence of his counsel

ISLAMABAD: Accountability Court Islamabad on Monday indicted Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari through a video link in Park Lane reference.

All the accused nominated including Asif Ali Zardari denied the charges framed against them after which the court summoned three prosecution witnesses on September 1, for testimony.

Anwar Majeed joined the proceeding from a hospital in Karachi while three other accused, Farooq Abdullah, Hanif, and Saleem Faisal joined the video link from Karachi. Accountability Court-II Judge Azam Khan conducted hearing on Park Lane corruption reference connected with fake accounts scam against former president and other co-accused. During hearing, former president pleaded that the prosecution's conduct should be in accordance of the law as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) used to be apologetic later on. The NAB, he alleged, made political cases against him.

Asif Ali Zardari, who appeared before court in Islamabad through video link from Bilawal House Karachi, prayed the court to postpone his indictment due to absence of his counsel Farooq H. Naek. His lawyer couldn't attend the proceeding this day due to engagements in Supreme Court, he told the court.

The court rejected the Zardari's request and read out the charges against him and other accused. According to the charge sheet, Zardari allegedly influenced the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) during holding president office to grant Rs1.5 billion loan to Parthenon, a frontline company of Park Lane. Zardari had been the director of Park Lane Company and made a fraudulent plan to embezzle the amount. The looted money was then sent to the fake accounts.

In response, Zardari denied the charges and adopted the stance that the cases were prepared to politically pressurize him in line of 18th Amendment in Constitution. His trial, he said, should be transparent and fair.

To this, the judge remarked that this court works on principles and laws, adding that everyone was equal in eyes of law. Zardari requested the court to note in its orders that the charges were framed against him in absence of his lawyer.

After the indictment, the court summoned three witnesses including Ahsan Aslam, Nabeel Zahoor and Abdul Kabir along with relevant record to testify on next hearing.

Meanwhile, the PPP on Monday termed the indictment of former president Asif Ali Zardari in Park Lane reference by the Accountability Court in the absence of his lawyers as “justice rushed is justice crushed.”

Parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Senate Sherry Rehman strongly condemned indictment of Zardari by a NAB court and said that to indict him in the absence of his counsels is unlawful because no one can be indicted in the absence of his lawyers.

She termed indictment as usurping the basic rights of former President.” This indictment and all other actions of NAB are raising questions about NAB,” she said. Sherry Rehman said the PPP will not surrender its rights to bring amendments in NAB laws.

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, younger daughter of Asif Ali Zardari through her twitter account stated that charges framed against her father today without his legal counsel present in court. “He has spent 6 months in jail already and has been on ECL for 2 years now,” she stated. She said injustice prevails as judge rushed through indictment, trampling on his constitutional and legal rights.

Secretary General PPP Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that it is now a proven fact that NAB acts are against the constitution regarding cases against PPP leadership. He said the Supreme Court has also declared NAB a worst kind of institution. “The NAB should be closed down after losing credibility,” he said.

Information Secretary PPP Dr Nafisa Shah said that PPP has always respected courts but justice does not seem to prevail in NAB court. “It is a condemnable act by the NAB court to indict former president in the absence of his lawyers,” she said.

She said the PPP has always raised questions about the competence of NAB investigation officers and their bias against PPP leadership. Nafisa Shah said former president Zardari has always been successful in the court of law and has been exonerated from all false cases. She asked NAB that what happened to the helicopter case against the prime minister and the Malam Jabba case. She said there are dozens of cases against government ministers but NAB is unmoved.