The National Accountability Bureau sought more time on Monday to present its arguments in the appeals challenging PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s acquittal in the bureau’s 25-year-old references, according to The Asian Mirror.
On Monday, the appeals were heard by a two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court, led by Chief Justice Athar Minallah and comprised of Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan.
At the start of the hearing, the anti-graft body requested more time to present its arguments in appeals against former President Zardari’s exoneration in the Ursus tractors case, the ARY Gold case, Cotecna, and the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) references.
Irked by the NAB’s practice of requesting more time for its arguments, CJ Minallah observed that the bureau appeared to be interested in the proceedings of its appeals. He warned NAB that the court was giving it one more shot. If the NAB was unable to present its arguments, the court would conclude that the anti-graft watchdog was not serious about pursuing its appeals.
On May 14, during the last hearing on the appeals, the NAB asked the IHC for more time to present its arguments. However, the watchdog requested more time today, which irritated CJ Minallah.
The NAB prosecutor told the court that the main issue was that prosecutors were not available in two appeals. One prosecutor was absent from duty, and the other had been transferred to Sukkur.
He stated that the bureau instructed him to ask the court to adjourn the case.
When CJ asked if the bureau was interested in the proceedings of its appeal, the NAB prosecutor replied that the bureau wanted to pursue its appeals.
The chief justice then asked the NAB prosecutor if he had read the court order dated November 15, 2021 and if he knew what it said.
The CJ stated that if the NAB prosecutor had read the court order, he would not have filed appeals.
The court then adjourned the case until June 13.
In its references, the NAB questioned Zardari’s acquittal, citing the Ursus tractors case, the ARY Gold case, Cotecna, and the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) cases.
An accountability court acquitted the PPP co-chairman in the ARY Gold and Ursus Tractor corruption cases in December 2014.
The following year, in November 2015, the Islamabad accountability court exonerated Zardari in other NAB references, namely the SGS-Cotecna references, due to a lack of evidence.
In its references seven years ago, the NAB filed appeals challenging Zardari’s acquittal.
