KARACHI: While further extending the interim bail of former president and co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and others till March 15, a banking court on Monday reserved its verdict on the National Accoun­tability Bureau’s plea to transfer an alleged money laundering case against them to an accountability court at Islamabad.

Former chairman of the Pakistan Stock Exchange Hussain Lawai, Taha Raza, Anver Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed have been booked and detained over their alleged involvement in facilitating around 29 fake bank accounts and laundering Rs4.14bn.

Mr Zardari, Ms Talpur, Zain Malik, the son-in-law of real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, along with 14 other bankers and businessmen, have been booked in the case.

Banking court extends further interim bail of Zardari, Faryal till 15th

Later, the Supreme Court-appointed joint investigation team in its report accused 172 people, including Mr Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz, of having fake bank accounts and indulging in money laundering.

On Monday, Judge Tariq Mehmood Khosa took up NAB’s application for case transfer to an Islamabad’s accountability court under Section 16-A of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

Ms Talpur and around 14 other suspects appeared in the court for confirmation of their interim bail. Detained suspects, including Mr Lawai, Mr Raza, Omni Group’s head Anver Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed, were brought from prison for the hearing.

Mr Zardari was absent, but his counsel Farooq H. Naek requested the judge to condone the former president from attending the court, for the second consecutive hearing, since he was attending the ongoing session of the National Assembly in Islamabad. The judge allowed the plea.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2019