Court postpones Gilani’s indictment till May 18

ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court (AC) on Friday postponed the indictment of former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani till May 18 due to absence of the accused in a reference pertaining to illegal award of a publicity campaign contract.

AC-II Judge Muhammad Azam Khan heard the reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Yusuf Raza Gilani could not attend the proceedings while the co-accused, including Riaz Asher Siddiqui and others, appeared before the court.

At the outset of the hearing, the NAB also submitted a report to the court which declared a co-accused, Farooq Awan, as an absconder.

The court directed all the accused to ensure their presence on the next date of hearing and adjourned the case. The NAB had alleged that a publicity campaign contract granted by the accused had caused a loss of Rs128 million to the national exchequer in 2011.