• Anti-graft body NAB submits four separate petitions.
• NAB says only photocopies of documents are on record in said cases.
• Bureau adds further prosecution impossible in references.

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Wednesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to withdraw appeals against PPP Co-chairperson and former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari’s acquittal in four references, which are scheduled for hearing tomorrow.

NAB, in its application, stated that only photocopies of the documents are on record in the references against Zardari; therefore, further prosecution is impossible.

NAB has submitted four separate petitions in the IHC to withdraw appeals against Zardari’s acquittal by the accountability court in the SGS, Cotecna, Ursus Tractors, and ARY Gold References, which state that only photocopies of the documents are on record against the former president.

NAB also mentioned that the available documents are not in accordance with the law of evidence. It stated that further prosecution on the appeals is an impossible task; therefore, to meet the requirements of justice, the court should allow NAB to withdraw the appeals against Zardari’s acquittals.

After the hearing of the reference was completed, the accountability court ordered to acquit Zardari and also approved NAB’s petition to withdraw the appeals against his acquittal simultaneously.

With regard to two cases — ARY Gold reference and Ursus Tractors filed in the years 2000 and 2001 — the accountability court issued its verdict to acquit the PPP co-chair on December 12, 2014. This case was initially created in 1998.

Zardari was also acquitted by the accountability court in the Cotecna and SGS reference on November 24, 2015.