KARACHI: Accountability court on Tuesday has postponed indictment of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari in Thatta water supply reference till August 7.

During the hearing, a reply was sought from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Zardari’s plea seeking dismissal of the reference against him. The proceedings were deferred due to absence of PPP leader’s lawyer Farooq H. Naek.

Earlier, NAB team had arrived at Zardari’s residence for his virtual indictment arrangements in the case as he had refused to visit court for hearings owing to coronavirus outbreak.

Court had postponed indictment of former president and Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in mega money laundering case till August 7.

In December 2019, former president Asif Ali Zardari was released on medical grounds after an accountability court in Islamabad issued separate robkars [mandamuses] in the Park Lane Estate Company and the money laundering through fake bank accounts cases against him.

The charges in the latest case centre around allegations Zardari laundered vast sums of money through suspect bank accounts and companies.

NAB is conducting investigations in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the money laundering of billions through fake accounts case wherein it forwarded the joint investigation team (JIT) report with directions to investigate and file references.

Zardari has repeatedly dismissed allegations he had a hand in the scheme. Never popular and always shrouded in controversy, Zardari -- who was once jailed for 11 years for corruption -- stepped down from the president s office in 2013. But he has continued to serve as co-chairman of the opposition PPP. NNI