ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that arrest warrants for former president Asif Ali Zardari had been issued in connection with the suspicious transaction of Rs8.3 billion in the fake bank accounts case.

The IHC, however, exempted Mr Zardari from personal appearance in the case for medical reasons.

Reacting sharply to the issuance of arrest warrants a day before the first power show of the opposition parties, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted: “On my way to Pakistan Democratic Movements first Jalsa in Punjab, I have received the news that NAB has issued arrest warrants for my father who has been admitted to hospital for the last few days. These tactics are not new for PPP & nothing will deter us now. Go selected.”

Mr Zardari is seeking a pre-arrest bail in the case related to suspicious transaction of Rs8.3bn from Bahria Town to fake accounts through a joint account of his assistant private secretary Mushtaq and Zain Malik, the son-in-law of property tycoon Malik Riaz.

The high court had on June 18, 2019 granted pre-arrest interim bail to Mr Zardari in the case. The bail has yet to be confirmed.

Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, NAB deputy prosecutor general, informed the court that the inquiry into the suspicious transaction case had been upgraded to investigation and the bureau chairman had signed the arrest warrants for Mr Zardari.

A two-judge IHC bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had taken up the pre-arrest bail petition filed by Mr Zardari. When the court asked for the copy of arrest warrants for Mr Zardari, the prosecution could not present it.

NAB prosecutor Abbasi, however, informed the court that the reasons for issuance of arrest warrants had been explained in detail in the reply submitted in response to the petition.

Farooq H. Naek, the lead defence counsel for Mr Zardari, requested the court to issue a directive for NAB to provide the copy of arrest warrants. He also sought the court’s permission to amend the pre-arrest bail petition saying the situation has changed after the issuance of arrest warrants.

Mr Abbasi said the copy of arrest warrants could only be provided to the accused at the time of his arrest.

Mr Naek submitted an application seeking exemption of Mr Zardari from personal appearance. He informed the court that the former president had been admitted to a hospital because of ailment and he could not appear before the court.

The court allowed the counsel to amend the petition and also exempted Mr Zardari from personal appearance on Thursday.

The court adjourned the hearing till Nov 5. The pre-arrest interim bail of the former president has also been extended till that date.

It may be mentioned Zain Malik, another accused in this case, has secured his release in three cases under trial and three investigations through plea bargain with NAB.

Zain Malik undertook to mortgage his six properties and pay Rs4bn in one case, Rs170 million in another and Rs37m in the third case to the NAB Rawalpindi Directorate in three years.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2020