ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday prepared three references in Rawalpindi pertaining to the fake bank accounts and mega money laundering case.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari has not been named as a direct suspect in the references, sources said and added that the references have been forwarded to the NAB headquarters.
Najam Zaman, Ali Memon and other suspects, who are already in NAB’s custody are named in the three references, the sources added. “All suspects named in the references are considered to be close aides of Zardari, however, the former president himself has not been name as a direct suspect in the references.”
A NAB executive board meeting is currently being chaired by the chairman of the accountability board, Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, and a decision on whether to file the references in the accountability court is expected to be taken. Zardari has been granted pre-arrest interim bail by the Islamabad High Court in the case.
Earlier, the FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July last year in connection with the probe.
The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed a close aide and Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August 2018.
Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.
The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
