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Saturday, October 12, 2013
Five NAB references reopened against ZardariISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad Friday reopened five National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references against former president Asif Ali Zardari and has sought a response from him within two weeks, media reports said on Friday.
The accountability court in Rawalpindi ordered the PPP co-chairman to appear before it on October 14 after it reopened five references against him. According to notice issued by the court, immunity for Zardari had ended with him stepping down from the Presidency. Along with the former president, the court has also summoned the National Accountability Bureau’s prosecutor general.
The references against Zardari had been deferred due to the constitutional immunity he enjoyed during his tenure as head of state. Taking a suo motu notice, the accountability court’s judge Bashir Ahmed reopened the five references against the former president, reports said. The references against the former president include SGS, Cotecna, ARY, polo ground and Ursus tractors.
The court had earlier released Zardari’s co-accused in these references. Zardari, 58, stepped down from the post of president in September, leaving his official residence after a record five years in power. He became the first democratically elected president in the history of Pakistan to fully complete his constitutional tenure and be replaced by another elected individual. His tenure was riddled with allegations of corruption and mismanagement with the country experiencing perhaps some of the most serious security challenges. daily times monitor/agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk