ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a seven-page detailed verdict on the dismissal of the bail pleas of former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in the fake bank accounts case. The verdict announced that the Supreme Court, in the Avenfield reference against former ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, had set precedents for bail in cases under the jurisdiction of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The court further observed that “white-collar crimes are not easy to deduct and trace” and therefore, the corruption watchdog “required custody of former president and his sister”. According to the court order, the argument that the NAB chief did not have the authority or jurisdiction in the matter was “without substance”. “Under Section 24(a) read with Section 24(c) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, the chairman could issue arrest warrants even after a reference was filed,” the order read.

Source: Pakistan Today June 18, 2019 08:37 UTC