RAWALPINDI June 1: An accountability court (AC) here has summoned former prime minister Benazir Bhutto to appear before the court in a corruption reference on Tuesday.

The judge of the accountability court No. 2, Mansur Ali Khan, has directed Ms Bhutto to appear before the court to contest the ARY Gold corruption reference, filed by the National Accountability Bureau.

If Ms Bhutto, wife of Asif Ali Zardari, who is the co-accused in the case, fails to appear before the court, the proceedings to declare her proclaimed offender could be initiated under the CrPC.

The reference, prepared by the PML government, was being tried by a Lahore High Court’s Ehtesab bench, comprising Justice Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Sheikh Amjad Ali, before it was transferred to the accountability court, following the military takeover in October 1999.

The accused allegedly awarded a monopolistic license to ARY Gold.—APP