Money laundering case: Zardari, Talpur appear before accountability court

Media 92 News
ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur appeared before an accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday in a case pertaining to money laundering through fictitious bank accounts.

Accountability court judge Arshad Malik is hearing the case. The court has summoned 30 suspects, including Zardari, Talpur, Hussain Lawai, Anwar Majeed, AG Majeed and Adeel Shah Rashdi.

The former president had also appeared before the accountability court on April 8 – his first appearance in Islamabad’s accountability court after the case was transferred from a banking court in Karachi upon the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeal.

During the last hearing on April 8, two accused offered to become approvers. Kiran and Noreen – two of the 30 accused in the case – requested the court that they be allowed to testify as witnesses.

The court had directed the women to submit their written pleas before the judge and adjourned the hearing of the case.

The case
The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July last year in connection with the probe.

The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed a close aide and Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August 2018.

Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.

The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.