ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) told an accountability court on Monday that former president Asif Ali Zardari cannot be acquitted, like the co-accused, in the corruption references against him without facing trial.

NAB’s additional deputy prosecutor general Chaudhry Riaz Ahmed dismissed Mr Zardari’s plea to the court for acquittal as “premature”, saying the five references “are liable to be prosecuted in accordance with the evidence collected during investigation after framing of charges as the earlier case was decided against the co-accused after recording the evidence”.

In his plea, moved on January 18, Mr Zardari contended that his trial in the references, pending since 1997, would be a futile exercise as the prosecution had to rely upon the same evidence that was found insufficient in the case of the co-accused and won them acquittal.

In its reply to the plea, NAB stated that the co-accused had faced trial and the court acquitted them after examining the evidence laid by the prosecution.

But “the petitioner then being the president of Pakistan was enjoying immunity under article 248 of the constitution…and was not present before the court during the trial,” it added.

NAB noted that the accountability court “has not passed any acquittal order against the present petitioner, rather the judgment of earlier trial revolves around the role of co-accused who were present before the court during the trial”.

Advocate Farooq H. Naek, counsel for Mr Zardari, told the court he wanted to argue the case and suggested that the court hold the proceedings three days a week.

Judge Mohammad Bashir adjourned the hearing till February 24. —