RAWALPINDI, March 2 Former federal minister for agriculture Nawab Yusuf Talpur here on Tuesday moved an application with the accountability court, seeking exoneration in the Ursus tractors reference.

Court-I Judge Tariq Abbasi issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau directing it to submit its response to the application on March 17 when the case would be taken up for regular hearing.

Filed through his lawyer Ilyas Siddiiqi, Mr Talpur, presently PPP MNA, maintained in his plea that in the statements of the prosecution witnesses nothing incriminating was made out against him in the allegation of importing the tractors in violation of law and receiving huge kickbacks.

The accused also moved another application asking for exemption from personal appearances in the court during next hearings.

Mr Talpur has been left the only accused in the reference as other accused are not being tried presently. Proceedings have been abated against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and former chairman Agriculture Development Bank, Badarud Din Zaidi, because of their deaths and President Asif Ali Zardari enjoys constitutional immunity.

Main allegation against the accused in the reference is that he received commissions in the import of tractors negotiated in the 1990s. According to the reference, the accused persons in connivance with each other indulged in acts of corruption by purchasing 5,900 Russian and Polish tractors at a cost Rs150,000 each under the Awami Tractor Scheme (ATS) in violation of law, rules and regulations of the ADBP.

The deal caused a loss of Rs268.30 million to the ADBP and Rs1.671 billion to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on account of exemption from customs duty and sales tax, the reference says.

Meanwhile, Court-II Judge Wamiq Javaid put off hearings in the case of SGS reference till March 9 after the NAB prosecutor sought time for preparation of the case.

Former CBR chairman A R Siddiqui filed an application with the court, seeking his acquittal under section 265-K. His lawyer also filed the application with the court for granting exemption to the accused from personal appearance on the next date of hearing.

His counsel told the court that 77-year-old Siddiqui was too ill to appear in the court. The court was to hear final arguments in the case, but Mr Siddiqui filed the application for acquittal.

Mr Siddiqi is accused of negotiating a pre-shipment contract between government of Pakistan and SGS - a Swiss company - in September 1994 to obtain pecuniary advantages for then prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari.

The accused allegedly received kickbacks through the offshore bank accounts of Jens Schlegilmitch, Bomer Finance Inc., Mariston Securities Inc. and Nassam Overseas Inc. Mr Siddiqui had sought sine die adjournment of the case on the plea that President Zardari enjoyed immunity.