All under the carpet after PDM passes the new NAB ordinance ...
Zardari, Gilani indicted in Toshakhana case
Court also declares ex-premier Sharif a proclaimed offender
Zaigham NaqviSeptember 09, 2020
A file photo of a meeting between Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
An anti-graft court on Wednesday indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari and ex-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the Toshakhana (gift depository) and also declared former premier Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender in the same matter.
Judge Asghar Ali of the accountability court in Islamabad also framed charges against Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed.
Zardari and Sharif have been accused by the country’s top anti-corruption body of illegally retaining expensive vehicles gifted to them by different foreign states and dignitaries instead of depositing them in the Toshakhana.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also maintained that Gilani, during his tenure as the prime minister, facilitated the PPP co-chairman in retaining the vehicles.
According to the anti-corruption body, Zardari and Sharif retained the vehicles “against a nominal payment of 15% of their total value” through “dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest”.
Zardari, Gilani and the father and son duo of the Omni group pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender by the judge after his case was separated from that of the other suspects.
The court sought the details of the PML-N supreme leader’s movable and immovable properties within seven days.
It also issued directions that the process of the Sharif’s arrest and subsequent appearance before the court be clarified.
The judge warned that the former premier's properties would be frozen if he failed to appear before the court.
Objecting to the indictment, Gilani told the court that he had never carried out any action against the rules.
"Only a summary [for allowing the retention of vehicles] that came according to the law was approved. Had the summary been wrong, it would not have been moved," he maintained.
The accountability court judge told him that action would be taken as per law.
"We are not yet discussing the merits of the case, or how the summary was moved and approved. You have to tell this to the court during the trial," he added.
The former premier also argued that NAB had prepared the reference without going through the rules of business.
The court adjourned the hearing till September 24 after ordering NAB to present its witnesses, Waqar-ul-Hassan Shah, Zubair Siddiqui and Imran Zafar.
Earlier, the court had endorsed NAB’s decision to seize two BMWs and a Lexus from Zardari and a Mercedes from Sharif.
According to the bureau, Zardari had received expensive cars as a gift from Libya and the UAE when he was the president of the country but illegally retained them instead of depositing them in the Toshakhana.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toshakhana case: Zardari, Yusuf Raza Gilani indicted, Nawaz Sharif declared absconder
By
Obaid Abrar Khan
September 10, 2020
Pause
Unmute
Current Time 0:29
/
Duration 1:45
Loaded: 84.45%
1x
Playback Rate
Quality Levels
Fullscreen
Toshakhana case: Zardari, Yusuf Raza Gilani indicted, Nawaz Sharif declared absconder
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari and ex-prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Toshakhana reference, while declaring former premier Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender over his continued absence from the proceedings.
In March, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference with the Accountability Court against the accused on the alleged violation of the rules of the Toshakhana (state gift repository) which it argued had caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer.
The reference also names Omni Group CEO Khawaja Anwar Majeed and his son, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed. The NAB alleged that Yusuf Raza Gilani, in order to extend illegal benefit to the accused, allowed them to keep luxury vehicles gifted to them by foreign dignitaries by relaxing the procedures governing their use.
The anti-graft body stated in the reference that “through dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest” the accused (Nawaz and Zardari) retained the vehicles in question “against a nominal payment of 15 percent of their total value”.
The former president has been accused of making the payments through the Omni Group owners for which, according to NAB, he has not provided any justification. When the proceedings resumed Wednesday, the court indicted all the four accused present in the court, who pleaded not guilty.
“I have never worked against the rules. I approved the summary which was prepared as per the law,” Yusuf Raza Gilani told the court. He added that if the summary was illegal, then it would not have been moved.
The court then responded that it was not talking about the merits of the case right now. “You should argue this during the trial,” Accountability Court Judge Asghar Ali told Gilani.
The court also declared Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender and issued a perpetual warrant for his arrest over his continued no-show. The court also asked the authorities to submit details of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader’s properties within seven days. The court, after issuing the warrants, adjourned the hearing till September 24.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recorder Report Published April 8, 2022
Facebook
Twitter
Whatsapp
Comments
ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing multi-billion fake bank accounts case on Thursday adjourned hearing of Toshakhana case against former president Asif Ali Zardari, former premiers, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and Nawaz Sharif and others due to absence of Zardari’s counsel.
The Accountability Court-III judge, Syed Ali Asghar, while hearing the case, adjourned the hearing of Toshakhana case due to non-availability of Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek till April 21.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor, Waseem Javed, appeared before the court.
At the start of the hearing, associate of Zardari and other accused’s counsel filed separate applications seeking one-day exemption of their client before the court, which the court approved.
The NAB had filed the Toshakhana reference against Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Gillani, and others for allegedly acquiring of three vehicles including BMW 750 Li model 2004, Toyota Lexus Jeep 472 model 2007 gifted by the embassy of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and BMW 760 LI model 2008 gifted by embassy Libya and gifts from Toshakhana -an official treasury where gifts from foreign dignitaries or heads of state are deposited- in violation of rules and regulations.
According to the bureau, the evidence collected during the course of inquiry and investigation has established that the accused, Gilani in order to extend illegal benefit to the accused, Zardari and Sharif, illegally allowed the retention of vehicles gifted to them by various foreign states and dignitaries, which at that time belonged to the Central Pool of Cars, Cabinet Division, relaxing the procedure of Toshakhana, illegally.
The accused, Zardari and Sharif, had retained the said vehicles against the nominal payment of 15 percent of total value of the vehicles. The accused, Zardari, made the payment for vehicles, and duties of these vehicles through the accused, Khawaja Anwer Majid and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majid, from “fake” bank accounts.
The accused, Gilani, former prime minister and minister-in-charge Cabinet Division from 2008-2012 had “illegally” relaxed the procedure for the acceptance and disposal of gifts, issued by the government through the Cabinet Division OM no.9/8/2004 TK dated June 25, 2007. According to these rules, “gifted vehicles shall not be allowed to be purchased by the recipients and be given to the Central Pool of Cars of the Cabinet Division.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
www.samaaenglish.tv
