The case concerns the alleged use of fake accounts by the former president. (File)
Islamabad:
An anti-corruption court in Pakistan on Monday indicted former President Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in a money laundering case, a move described by his party as “victimization” of opposition leaders.
The development comes just ahead of protests planned next month by opposition parties to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The case concerns the alleged use of fake accounts by the former president and other defendants to park and launder allegedly ill-gotten wealth.
The 63-year-old husband of the country’s first female prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, and his sister Talpur, 62, were present in court.
Judge Muhammad Azam Khan of the Islamabad Liability Court indicted them.
The court also indicted the chairman of the Omni group, Anwar Majeed, and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed.
All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Reacting to this development, Pakistani People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that “the political victimization of the opposition continues during a global pandemic”.
He said Zardari and Talpur had appeared in court for two years.
“The traitor of the fugitive dictator, three special assistants, ministers and the prime minister’s sister will not be summoned because we have two laws in Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.
The court, however, postponed Zardari’s indictment in Park Lane’s dismissal to October 5.
The court also adjourned the hearing of the mega money laundering case until October 13 and ordered three witnesses to appear before it at the next hearing.
Meanwhile, the former president challenged the money laundering and Park Lane cases in the High Court in Islamabad. He argued in the appeal that the cases could be quashed because he was innocent.
The appeal was filed against the liability court ruling last week in which it dismissed Zardari’s plea to quash three cases related to the fake bank accounts case.
The mega money laundering scandal surfaced in 2018 and multiple investigations related to the case were launched.
Zardari and Talpur were arrested last year and held in detention for months before being released on bail in December.
He claims the allegation was part of a smear campaign by Pakistan’s ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by Imran Khan, to slander opposition leaders.
