NAB mulls withdrawing appeal against Zardari's acquittal in ARY Gold reference.

ISLAMABAD -- The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor on Monday hinted at withdrawing appeal against the acquittal of former president Asif Ali Zardari by an accountability court in the ARY Gold reference.

NAB's Additional Prosecutor General Jahanzeb Khan Bharwana, who had earlier requested the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to either dispose of the appeal or adjourn the hearing till the retrieval of original record, sought its permission to reconstruct the record.

Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, a member of an IHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, questioned admissibility of the record and asked if it would be acceptable by the counsel for the former president.

Mr Bharwana told the court that he had suggested withdrawal of the appeal against Mr Zardari.

Bureau's additional prosecutor general says anti-graft watchdog dysfunctional in absence of chairman

The National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) empowers the NAB prosecutor general to withdraw a case from any court at any stage.

The additional prosecutor general, however, said since the new NAB chairman had not yet been appointed, the bureau was practically dysfunctional at present.

The court adjourned further hearing till September 20.

The Islamabad accountability court had in December 2014 acquitted Mr Zardari in the ARY Gold reference.

According to the reference, then prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Mr Zardari, retired Brig Aslam Hayat Qureshi and Salman Farooqi had allegedly allowed ARY owner Haji Abdul Razzaq to import gold and silver duty-free between 1995 and 1997, inflicting billions of rupees of loss to the national exchequer.

...