ISLAMABAD : An accountability court on Monday again deferred the indictment of former president Asif Ali Zardari in Park Lane reference after his counsel Advocate Farooq H. Naek filed a last-minute petition against the proceedings. As the hearing of the case resumed today, Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naik filed a petition in an Islamabad accountability court to stop the indictment against the former president. Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naik in his petition maintained that proceedings against his client were not legally justified so the court should stop the indictment. Naek asked the judge to issue a notice to NAB on the new petition and adjourned the proceedings till next Tuesday as he has to do some more research on the case. The loan in question was taken by a company, not Zardari, argued Naek, who said his client was never issued any notice by the SBP either. Judge Azam Khan asked Naek why he waited till the last moment to file this petition when he knew the indictment process was almost complete. Naek asked the judge to issue a notice to NAB on the new petition. NAB also asked the judge to issue the notice and vowed to submit its reply within 30 minutes so the indictment could proceed. Judge Azam Khan asked Naek to appear before the court on July 9. To which, Zardari’s lawyer said that he has to represent another client in a different case in the Supreme Court Karachi Registry on July 9. However, the judge postponed the indictment against PPP leader Asif Zardari and set a hearing for the new petition on July 14. The defence and prosecution’s arguments will be heard on July 14 after which a new date can be set for the indictment if the petition is rejected. Zardari was set to be indicted via video conference from Karachi. Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and other accused face charges of corruption through fake bank accounts and embezzlement in the financial facility for Park Lane Private Limited and Parthenon (Pvt) Limited. According to the anti-graft watchdog, Asif Ali Zardari was allegedly running a fake front company by the name of Parathon as a shareholder in Park Lane properties. A loan worth Rs 1.5 billion was taken from a bank and transferred to the company’s account in a private bank
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