Court exempts Zardari from personal appearance

ISLAMABAD: Accountability Court (AC) Judge Muhammad Bashir Khan on Saturday granted exemption to former president Asif Ali Zardari from a personal appearance in court, and now his counsel Farooq H Naek will represent him.

Zardari’s counsel filed five applications in the five corruption references seeking acquittal of the former president under section 265-K of the NAB ordinance.

Section 265-K empowers the Accountability Court judge to acquit an accused if he feels that the evidence is insufficient and there is no chance of conviction.

Receiving the applications the AC judge issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking their reply and put off the hearing till February 3.

Earlier, Zardari’s legal team apprised the court that the former president had been facing threats and there were security concerns. So he may be exempted from day to day appearance before the court.

It may be noted that the court had to frame charges against Zardari afresh since November 26, 2013 the time when the AC resumed the cases. But Zardari’s counsel had been arguing that the charges were already framed and could not be framed afresh. On the last hearing, the court was to frame charges against Zardari in the polo ground corruption reference but the proceedings were adjourned after Zardari’s counsel contended that they wanted to argue this matter.

Now they have filed applications under 265-K in the five corruption references including Cotecna, Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS), ARY Gold, Ursus tractors and polo ground cases. The indictment process has come to a halt and now the court will hear the arguments from both sides regarding these applications.

It was on November 26, 2013 when the court had ordered for fresh framing of charges on December 9 against Zardari in the corruption references.

In all the 14 to 15 year-old cases, almost all the accused have been either acquitted or the references were abated to their extent due to their deaths. In most of the cases, Asif Ali Zardari has been left has the sole accused and the accountability courts had decided that the proceedings against Zardari would be initiated once his presidential immunity expires.