Missing key witness in graft cases against Zardari now available to testify

Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that a key witness who had been missing in two corruption references against former president Asif Ali Zardari was now available to testify in the cases.

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According to The Dawn, additional deputy prosecutor general (ADPG) of NAB, Chaudhry Riaz while arguing in an appeal filed against the acquittal of Mr Zardari in ARY gold and Ursus tractors corruption references told the court that former joint secretary Ehtesab Cell, Hassan Waseem Afzal, was untraceable during the last government of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

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Afzal was summoned a number of times but he neither responded nor turned up to the court, Riaz said during the court proceedings against co-accused in the corruption references, adding that the whereabouts of the witness were also not known at that time.

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The prosecution had to drop him from the witnesses list due to his unavailability, according to Riaz.