Nawaz declared absconder, Zardari indicted in Toshakhana reference

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Wednesday has indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari and ex-Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani in Toshakhana reference.

The accountability court during the proceedings has declared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) founder and former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif as proclaimed offender over his continuous absence from the court.

The hearing of the accountability court was done in Rawalpindi.

The court has also sought a record of Nawaz Sharif’s properties in seven days and decided to seize them. The Accountability court also summoned NAB witnesses in the next hearing.

The accountability court conducted a hearing into Toshakhana reference on Wednesday against Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, over allegedly obtaining luxury vehicles from the treasury by paying 15 percent of the actual price. Former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani had allegedly facilitated the allotment of the cars to both of them when he was holding the office of Prime Minister.

Former president and Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and ex-premier Yousaf Raza Gillani appeared in the hearing conducted by the accountability court’s judge Asghar Ali in the capital earlier today where tight security was arranged by the administration and all service roads and some main roads were closed after installing barricades and heavy deployment of police and FC for the security of prominent political figures.

During the hearing, the judge declared PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender in the case and sought details of his movable and immovable assets within a week.

In March, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference with the Accountability Court against the accused on the alleged violation of the rules of the Toshakhana which it argued had caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer.

The reference also names Omni Group CEO Khawaja Anwar Majid and his son, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majid.

NAB alleged that Yousuf Raza Gillani, in order to extend the illegal benefit to the accused, allowed them to keep luxury vehicles gifted to them by foreign dignitaries by relaxing the procedures governing their use.

The NAB the anti-graft body stated in the reference that through dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest the accused Nawaz Sharif and Zardari retained the vehicles in question against a nominal payment of 15% of their total value.

The former president has been accused of making the payments through the Omni group owners for which, according to NAB, he has not provided any justification during the investigation.

When the proceedings resumed today, the court indicted all the four accused present in the court, who pleaded not guilty.

The former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the court in today’s hearing that I have never worked against the rules and regulations and all processes were performed in the domain of the rules and regulations adding that I approved the summary which was prepared as per the law, He added that if the summary was illegal, then it would not have been moved.

The court then responded saying that it was not talking about the merits of the case right now and you should argue this during the trial, Accountability Court Judge Asghar Ali told Gilani.

NAB prosecutor told the court that Zardari had only paid 15 percent cost of the cars by using his fake accounts, however, Libya and United Arab Emirates (UAE) also gifted him cars when he was serving as president of Pakistan.

NAB counsel further claimed that Asif Ali Zardari used these cars for his personal work instead of submitting them to Toshakhana.

The anti-corruption watchdog counsel told the court that Nawaz Sharif got a car without any application in 2008 when he was not holding any public office.

The accountability court adjourned the hearing till 24th September and ordered the Anti-corruption watchdog official to present witness Waqar-ul-Hassan Shah, Zubair Siddique, and Imran Zaffar in the upcoming hearing.