RAWALPINDI, May 9: An accountability court here on Friday handed over two cars impounded by the National Accountability Bureau to prime minister’s adviser Rehman Malik.

Malik had moved a fresh application for the custody of the vehicles after the related corruption reference was dismissed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

Accountability Court-IV Judge Khalid Mehmood admitted the application of Mr Malik and allowed the release of the Honda Accord cars without any surety bonds. During the last hearing, the court had directed his lawyer to submit surety bonds worth Rs1.789 million to get possession of the vehicles.

His counsel Mohammad Arshad Tabrez pleaded that all the cases against his client stood quashed under the NRO; therefore, his property be released and given in his possession.

He also submitted an application to the judge to review his previous orders about the surety bonds, as all the cases had now become quashed.

Meanwhile, Accountability Court-III Judge Saghir Ahmed Qadri adjourned till May 13 the hearing of an application filed by Mohammad Saeed Khan seeking possession of a BMW car that according to NAB was the property of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari. The court has already quashed the case involving the car against Mr Zardari.

The lawyer of the applicant argued that according to official record his client had purchased the car from Badruddin who had bought it from Sajid Qayyum. He said Qayyum imported it from England.