Islamabad: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has challenged the former President and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s acquittal in illegal assets case. A report in “The Nation” today said the watchdog has filed the application in Rawalpindi Bench of Lahore High Court. According to the application, the accountability court gave verdict without detailed proceedings and did not allow to present important papers related to the case. The court ignored critical witnesses of the case, the application claimed. NAB also stated that it possessed over 22,000 documents against Zardari. On August 26, Asif Ali Zardari was acquitted by an accountability court in an illegal assets reference, the last of the cases filed by NAB against him over the years.
Accountability Court (AC) Rawalpindi Judge Khalid Mehmood Ranjha acquitted Zardari in the corruption reference. The court decided the case after 16 years long period. Zardari was accused of making illegal assets in Pakistan as well as abroad. Farooq H Naek, counsel for Zardari, filed acquittal plea under section 256 of CrPC which was approved by the accountability court. The judge, in his verdict, ruled that there is no legal basis of corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The court gave the former president a clean chit owing to lack of evidence against him. Earlier, Farooq H Naek argued before the court that his client has nothing to do with the corruption reference. He said Zardari was victimised politically by his opponents. He said the court should acquit his client in the baseless case. After completion of arguments, AC Judge Khalid Mehmood Ranjha dropped charges against Zardari and acquitted him in the corruption reference. Speaking to the mediapersons after the verdict, Naek had said his client had been falsely implicated in the politically motivated case. He said during hearing no evidence was found against his client.
