KARACHI: A banking court on Saturday issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency on the bail applications of the Omni Group’s chairman and his son in an alleged money laundering case.

Anwar Majeed, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari and chairman of the Omni Group, and his son Abul Ghani Majeed through their lawyer moved the bail applications.

Banking court judge Tariq Mehmood Khoso issued notices to the FIA on the bail applications for Jan 23.

The counsel for the applicants contended that the investigating agency had so far failed to produce any incriminating evidence against his clients and they were framed with mala fide intentions and on political grounds.

The main case is also set for Jan 23 for submission of a final investigation report as the investigating officer of the FIA has been seeking time during the last few hearings to file the final charge sheet.

Constable involved in triple murder case remanded in police custody

The FIA had named Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, the Omni Group chairman and over 15 others as suspects in the interim charge sheet filed before the banking court in August for alleged money laundering of over Rs4 billion after a total of 29 “fake” bank accounts were opened in three banks — Summit Bank, Sindh Bank and United Bank Ltd. Later, Mr Zardari and his sister obtained interim bail.

The Supreme Court had also taken a suo motu notice and constituted a joint investigation team to probe the matter. The JIT had filed its report in the Rs35bn fake bank accounts scam and also recommended a directive for NAB to conduct a thorough inquiry, followed by filing of a reference against Mr Zardari, his alleged frontman Younas Kudwai, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and others in the accountability court to recover the allegedly misappropriated Rs1.5bn with the total outstanding loan of Rs3.74bn in the Park Lane case.

The apex court had referred the matter to NAB to launch its probe independently and complete it within two months.

Policeman remanded in triple murder case

A judicial magistrate remanded on Saturday a police constable in police custody for questioning in a triple murder case.

Constable Tanveer Ahmed Khan with his absconding accomplice has been booked for killing Imtiaz Ahmed, his brother Adnan alias Raju, and their friend Nadeem in Orangi Town on Thursday.

The investigation officer produced the detained policeman before a judicial magistrate (West) and sought his custody for questioning. Mohammad Noshad was shown as an absconder in the remand papers. The magistrate handed the suspect over to police on a three-day physical remand.

The prosecution said that the policeman, posted in the investigation section of the Samnabad police station, had come to the home of Nadeem since he had some monetary dispute with him and in the meantime the two brothers, who were called by Nadeem, also joined them. A heated debate led to firing by Tanveer, killing all the three on the spot.

A case was registered under sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of Nadeem’s brother at the Pakistan Bazaar police station.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2019