Court reserves verdict on Toshakhana case against Zardari, Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court in Islamabad has reserved its verdict of in Toshakhana reference against President Asif Ali Zardari, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani back to the National Accountablity Bureau (NAB).

Accountability Court Judge Abida Sajjad heard the petition to send the Toshakhana reference back to NAB against Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and others.

President Asif Ali Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H. Naek and Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer Kazi Misbah and Rana Irfan appeared in the accountability court.

Lawyer Farooq H. Naik said that there are 5 accused in the reference, after NAB amendments, this case is not the jurisdiction of this court and this case should be sent back to Chairman NAB.

The judge of the accountability court said that the parties agree on the point that the reference is not the jurisdiction of this court. On which lawyer Farooq H. Naik said that Asif Ali Zardari had previously also took immunity when he became the president, but when he stepped down from the presidency, he again appeared before the NAB.

The accountability court should send the reference back, to whom the NAB authority sends the case, now the question will be whether the case will be made against Asif Zardari or not.

Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer Qazi Misbah said that earlier when the court decided, the case was sent back to NAB, in the light of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s decision, the case sent back to the accountability court.

The lawyers of Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Yousaf Raza Gilani requested to send the Toshakhana reference to NAB, while the NAB prosecutor said that Asif Ali Zardari had given a check which bounced.

The NAB prosecutor said that Nawaz Sharif’s case will be separated and Asif Ali Zardari’s case will be separated.

After hearing the arguments of the parties, the Accountability Court reserved its decision on the applications related to sending the Toshakhana reference back to NAB against Asif Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and others.

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The reserved decision will be pronounced on October 14.