RAWALPINDI, Jan 15: An accountability court here on Tuesday disposed of a reference against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Accountability Court No.1 Judge Mohammad Hanif Khan, acceding to the argument of the counsel of late Ms Bhutto, Arshad Tabrez, disposed of the reference prepared by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 1998 for amassing illegal assets beyond the declared means of income. The Pakistan People’s Party leader had moved an appeal for acquittal under the National Reconciliation Ordinance which had been challenged in the Supreme Court.

NAB Prosecutor-General Danishwar Malik told the court that the acquittal application had become infructuous after the death of Ms Bhutto. The defence lawyer at the death had made the case itself abated.

The defence lawyer told Dawn that both Ms Bhutto and her husband Asif Zardari had been accused in the reference but later separate references had been filed against them.

Accountability Court No.3 Judge Saghir Ahmed Qadri put off the hearing of acquittal petitions of Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari in the Cotecna and BMW references till Jan 30. In the Cotecna case the defence lawyer sought abatement but Deputy Prosecutor-General Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta sought adjournment saying that he wanted to get instructions from the NAB authorities.

The judge observed that according to general law when an accused died any case against him or her was discharged. He asked the prosecution lawyer to submit his request for not abating the case on the next date.

Accountability Court No.4 Judge Khalid Mehmood deferred hearing in acquittal pleas in five references involving Mr Zardari, Rehman Malik and Ms Bhutto till Jan 30.

In the Ursus tractors case, the defence lawyer said the reference had been based on photocopies of some documents and the former judge of the court had sought the original documents which had not been submitted.