RAWALPINDI, Oct 11: Four accountability courts on Thursday issued notices to the relevant authorities following petitions filed by Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari and others seeking acquittal in 11 different cases of corruption and bad practices on the basis of recently promulgated National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

The courts directed the prosecutor general of the National Accountability Bureau to submit reply and record on Oct 12 and 17 in corruption cases after leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party and Interior Minster Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao filed separate acquittal petitions seeking indemnity under the NRO.

Farooq H. Naik filed the petitions on behalf of Ms Bhutto and associates and Chaudhry Mushtaq on behalf of Mr Sherpao.

Accountability Court No-1 Judge Mohammad Hanif Khan directed NAB to submit reply on Oct 12 in the corruption reference of illegal assets against Ms Bhutto which was adjourned sine die by the court. In the acquittal plea of Mr Sherpao in the New City Project case, the judge sought the NAB reply on Oct 17. The interior minister has got stay order in the case from the Lahore High Court.

Accountability Court No-2 Judge Chaudhry Mohammad Younas sought the record from NAB in two references about ARY Gold and SGS, a Swiss company, on Oct 17. In both cases, Ms Bhutto and Asif Zardari were given three years imprisonment in absentia. In the ARY Gold case, owner of the group Haji Abdur Rehman and brothers are co-accused and in the SGS reference, former CBR chairman A.R Siddiqui is co-accused with the PPP leaders. Other accused are facing cases in the court.

Accountability Court No-3 Judge Saghir Ahmed Qadri directed NAB to present the record of the BMW case and the Cotecna, another Swiss company, reference on Oct 17. In the BMW case, Asif Zardari is main accused and in Cotecna, Ms Bhutto. Hearing in these cases was adjourned sine die by the court.

Accountability Court No-4 Judge Khalid Mehmood asked NAB to submit reply in five different corruption references -- Polo Ground, Ursus Tractors, unlawful assets and two cases of misappropriation of money.

In the Polo Ground case, the accused are Asif Ali Zardari, former Capital Development Authority chairman Shafeh Sahwani and former Islamabad commissioner Saeed Mehdi. The case was adjourned sine die by the court.

In the reference of tractors,

Ms Bhutto and Asif Zardari are accused.