Accountability court Islamabad reserved a decision on Thursday on the validity of former President Asif Ali Zardari’s appeal for acquittal in the Rs8.3 billion suspicious transactions case.

The PPP co-chairman filed the acquittal petition in light of recent changes to the country’s accountability law.

The verdict will be announced shortly by Accountability Judge Asghar Khan.

Zardari appeared in court with his counsel as the session continued. The attorney claimed in court that his client cannot be charged in the matter after the National Accountability (NAO) Ordinance, 2021 is enacted.

He argued that no case could be brought out against Zardari after the new legislation was passed, appealing with the judge to acquit him.

After hearing arguments, the court reserved its decision on the plea’s maintainability. The court will also determine whether to file criminal charges against the former president.

According to the reference, former President Asif Ali Zardari is accused of utilising bogus accounts to conduct transactions totaling more than Rs8 billion. Mushtaq Ahmed, his associate, placed the money in a fictitious account, which was then used to buy expensive homes in a prestigious Karachi neighbourhood.

From 2009 through 2013, Ahmed worked as a stenographer at Aiwan-e-Sadar. Due to his constant absence from the hearings, he has been labelled a fugitive in the case.

Update

Islamabad accountability court has given its verdict and the acquittal plea of Asif Ali Zardari has been rejected.