Pak court extends interim bail of Zardari, his sister till Feb 14

A banking court in Pakistan on Wednesday extended till February 14 the interim bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and nine other suspects in a money laundering case.

The former president and his sister along with other suspects appeared before the court as the interim bail granted to them ended Wednesday, Geo TV reported.

The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) investigation officer did not appear before the court as he is currently in Islamabad.

During the hearing, the bench questioned, "How should we take the case forward when neither the investigation officer nor FIA record are present. First, let the Supreme Court decision, investigation officer and record come."
Turning to FIA's counsel, the bench said, "If you have the file, present arguments on the bail plea."
At this, Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed's counsel requested that the FIA present a final chalan so the court can hear the case. However, FIA prosecutor Mumtaz-ul-Hasan said, "The Supreme Court order only states that the matter should be forwarded to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)."