RAWALPINDI, Oct 31: Four accountability courts on Wednesday linked the decision on acquittal petitions of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari in corruption cases to the verdict of the Supreme Court on a petition challenging the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

The judges observed that the acquittal petitions could not be disposed of till the apex court gave its verdict on the ordinance. The Supreme Court had ruled on Oct 12 that any benefit under the ordinance would be subject to the final order in the case.

The judge of court-1, Mr Mohammad Hanif, put off the illegal assets case against Ms Bhutto till Nov 19, saying he would wait for the SC verdict. Court- 2 Judge Chaudhry Mohammad Younas adjourned the hearing in cases relating to ARY Gold and Swiss company SGS till Nov 24.

In the ARY case, accused other than PPP leaders have obtained a stay order and the accountability judge has asked for withdrawal of the stay. The high court, their counsel told the court, had observed that in the light of the reconciliation ordinance the legality of the stay order stood invalid.

Court-3 Judge Sagheer Ahmed Qadri deferred the hearing in the case relating to Cotecna, another Swiss company, and the BMW case till Nov 16. Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari are the main accused in the cases.

Court-4 Judge Khalid Mehmood postponed the hearing in the cases of Polo Ground, Ursus tractors and illegal assets and two cases against former FIA chief Rehman Malik till Nov 16.

The National Accountability Bureau, represented by prosecutor general Dr Danishwar Malik and deputy prosecutor general Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, filed a reply in the Polo Ground case, saying that since the case had been filed in 2002, it did not come under the ambit of the reconciliation ordinance which gave amnesty to holders of public offices in cases filed before Oct 12, 1999.

However, Advocate Farooq H. Naek, the counsel for the PPP leaders, maintained that investigation in the case had started in 1997 which, according to an NAB ordinance, were legal proceedings. The main accused in the case, former CDA chairman Shafeh Sahwani, has died.