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| India-Pakistan |
| Five Zardari graft cases dropped, assets released |
| 2008-03-06 |
| Accountability Courts No II and IV on Wednesday terminated five corruption cases against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and released his frozen assets. The judges said the cases “stand terminated” after implementation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Accountability Court No III adjourned the hearing in two cases against Zardari until March 12, because the judge was on leave. Accountability courts also dropped two corruption cases against former Federal Investigation Agency director general Rehman Malik. Accountability Court No II Judge Chaudhry Muhammad Younas quashed the ARY Gold and SGS references against Asif Zardari and three former federal secretaries – Salmaan Farooqi, Talat Javaid and Aslam Hayat Qureshi. Zardari, Benazir Bhutto and former Central Board of Revenue chairman AR Siddiqui were accused in the SGS reference. Accountability Court IV Judge Khalid Mehmood terminated the Polo Ground, Ursus Tractors and unlawful accumulation of assets references against Zardari. The judge dropped two references of misappropriation of money against Rehman Malik. He also ordered unfreezing of assets of Zardari and Rehman Malik that included three cars, a polo ground and sugar mills. “Allah has differentiated truth from lies and justice has been done,” Zardari’s lawyer Farooq Naik told reporters outside the court in Rawalpindi. |
| Posted by:Fred |