Nawaz Sharif gets clean chit in Tosha Khana vehicles reference 

Islamabad: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested court to acquit former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the reference related to Tosha Khana vehicles.

According to the details, Judge Nasir Javed Rana heard the reference against President Asif Zardari, former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif, Yusuf Raza Gilani and others in the Accountability Court of Islamabad.

Advocate Rana Muhammad Irfan while Arshad Tabriz Advocate appeared before the court on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari and Omni Group Chairman Anwar Majeed.

During the hearing, NAB submitted a report to the court regarding the investigation involving Nawaz Sharif.

In the report, NAB said that in 1997, the car was gifted to the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by the government of Saudi Arabia. Nawaz deposited the gifted car in Tosha Khana, later it was received as a gift. The vehicle was added to the federal transport pool. In the year 2008, the then Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani offered Sharif to buy the car.

According to the report, Nawaz Sharif bought the car not from the Tosha Khana but from the Federal Transport Pool. He did not pay the price of the car from a fake bank account. When Nawaz Sharif received the car as a gift, he deposited it in the Tosha Khana and when purchased, the car was not part of the Tosha Khana at that time.

NAB has pleaded in the report that the court can acquit Nawaz Sharif from the Tosha Khana reference.

Later, Arshad Tabraiz, the lawyer of the President of the State, took the position that Asif Ali Zardari has the presidential immunity for five years, the case cannot go on the co-accused Abdul Ghani Majeed and Anwar Majeed.

The court remarked that it will be looked into at the next hearing.

Later, the accountability court adjourned the hearing of the case till May 7.

Notably on March 19, the Accountability Court of Islamabad had sought the NAB report on the next hearing in the reference related to receiving valuable vehicles and gifts from Tosha Khana against President Asif Ali Zardari, former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yusuf Raza Gilani and other accused.

On the previous hearing, the accountability court issued a notice to the investigating officer in the reference of Tosha Khana vehicles against the co-chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Zardari, leader of PPP Yousuf Raza, head of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif and others to appear on March 19.