Ex-president Zardari gets bail on medical grounds in NAB inquiry

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted former president Asif Ali Zardari bail on medical grounds in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry pertaining to suspicious transactions worth Rs8 billion.

The bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, heard the pre-arrest bail case of Asif Zardari.

Zardari’s counsel Farouk Naek stated that the medical board had submitted its report regarding the health of former president in detail. The bail petition had been filed on medical grounds, he said, adding that his client would cooperate with the NAB investigation.

To a query by the bench, NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said the case is in the investigation stage and a reference has yet to be filed. He said there were a total of four references filed against Zardari pertaining to fake bank accounts.

Justice Farooq asked Naek whether his client had also given an application to shift the cases to Karachi courts. To this, the lawyer said yes he had filed an application in that regard.

Justice Kiyani asked whether NAB had filed any appeal to cancel the bail of Zardari in another case. He also asked that how many times the bureau would arrest the same person. The NAB prosecutor said “now the NAB inquiry has been conducted”. Naek stated his client had been in NAB’s custody for more than two months on physical remand.

Justice Farooq asked whether the petitioner had made a payment against property. Naek said the property was purchased, but the NAB had declared the account as fake. The NAB prosecutor said the 1,700-yard land was on the name of the petitioner. Justice Kiyani asked the NAB whether it thinks that the accused could flee. The NAB prosecutor said the co-accused in this case, Mushtaq Ahmed, was Grade 15 employee who “fled abroad” and that the former president made a special request to appoint Mushtaq Ahmed as a secretary.

The court then asked the NAB prosecutor whether he had any objections over the medical report. The opinion of the medical board cannot be false, the court added, saying that the law is that the accused has to return after his medical treatment.

Naek requested the court to grant bail to his client on medical grounds, adding that Zardari was ready to join the NAB investigation. He stated that his client’s name was on the Exit Control List already and he was providing arguments just on the bail petition.

“We are ready to give an undertaking that Asif Zardari will appear whenever the NAB investigators summon him,” he said. The court subsequently granted bail to Zardari on medical grounds after listening to arguments from both sides.