Park Lane Reference: Former President’s indictment postponed

Former president Asif Ali Zardari was not indicted in the Park Lane reference after his lawyer Farooq H Naek on Monday, filed a last-minute petition against the proceedings.

According to the details, a petition was filed in an Islamabad accountability court, read that the indictment should be stopped as the proceedings against former president Asif Ali Zardari were not legally justified.

The lawyer said that loan defaulting was a matter concerning the State Bank of Pakistan. When someone defaults on a loan, the State Bank governor approves a reference against them and a notice is sent.

The loan in question was taken by a company, not Zardari, argued Naek, who said his client was never issued any notice by the State Bank of Pakistan either.

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PPP supreme leader is reportedly ill, Zardari attended the court proceedings through video link from his home.

However, the judge postponed the indictment and set a hearing for the new petition on July 14.

At an earlier hearing, Zardari had filed an application for exemption from appearance in the court. His counsel, Farooq H Naik, had told the court his client was not afraid of the trial but even the government had recommended that people over the age of 60 should not go out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The NAB prosecutor had requested the court to indict Zardari through video link, adding that the absence of the accused was affecting the trial. He had cited a Supreme Court observation about the use of the latest technology to complete trials.

NAB filed Park Lane reference against the former president on July 19, 2019. Apart from the PPP leader, the country’s top graft buster also nominated 16 others.