ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Monday filed applications with the accountability court Islamabad seeking acquittal in the SGS and Cotecna corruption cases.

The court issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file its reply till February 25.

In the applications, Mr Zardari’s counsel Farooq H. Naek stated that there was no incriminating evidence against his client.

Moreover, these cases were constituted on political basis, he added. On December 22, 2014, the accountability court dismissed Mr Zardari’s applications for acquittal in the SGS and Cotecna cases.

The same court on December 12, 2014, had accepted his application in the Ursus tractors and import of gold corruption cases. Later, NAB filed appeals with the Islamabad High Court against the acquittal of Mr Zardari.

On May 28, 2014, the accountability court had also acquitted Mr Zardari from the polo ground corruption reference.

The counsel for the former president filed applications in the five cases in 2013 out of which three were already accepted while the SGS and Cotecna cases left under trial with the accountability court.

These cases pertained to receiving alleged kickbacks in the award of pre-shipment contracts.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2015

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