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ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has deferred indictment of former president Asif Ali Zardari and other accused in a corruption reference to June 26.
The court was scheduled to indict the accused on Wednesday, but since most of them were not present in the courtroom judge Mohammad Azam Khan adjourned the hearing till June 26.
Mr Zardari has been accused of being involved “in extending loan and its misappropriation by M/s Parthenon Private Limited, M/s Park Lane Estate Private Limited and others”.
The defence counsel informed the court that most of the accused persons are senior citizens and they could not travel to Islamabad because of their vulnerability in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
On the other hand, the prosecution suggested that the accused may attend the hearing through video link, adding that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has made arrangements for participation of ailing chairman of Omni Group Anwer Majeed in the court proceedings via video link.
The accountability judge asked the defence counsel to ask their clients to participate in the proceedings through video link enabling the court to commence the trial in the Park Lane reference.
Lead defence counsel Sardar Latif Khan argued that under the Criminal Procedure Code an accused could not be indicted via video link, adding that it is mandatory for the judge to read out the charges in the presence of the accused persons.
The judge, however, remarked that he would issue a written order for procuring the attendance of the accused persons for the purpose of indictment through video link, adding that the parties in this matter may assail the order before an appropriate forum in case they have any objection on this procedure.
The investigation officer told the court that NAB had included some more suspects in the supplementary reference of the Park Lane case.
He said directors of Omni Group Anwer Majeed, Abdul Ghani Majeed, Hussain Lawai and Nimar Majeed and others had also been included in the reference.
Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020
