Faryal Talpur, the sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari, on Saturday asked for more time to appear before a joint investigation team constituted to probe a money laundering case.
Zardari and Talpur were summoned by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) commercial banking circle at 11am on Saturday, a private TV channel reported. The brother-sister duo were to record their statements in relation to a Rs 35 million money laundering case.
Seeking more time, Talpur requested for a new date to be fixed to appear before the investigation team. Citing that his client was occupied in the banking court, Farooq H Naik requested the agency to grant his client 15 more days to appear before the JIT. The petition also stated that the interim summons had illegally declared Talpur absconder in the case.
Talpur on Saturday also submitted a surety bond of Rs 2 million for bail in the case.
The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering through fictitious accounts under which Zardari’s close aide and Pakistan Stock Exchange sacked chairman Hussain Lawai was also arrested earlier this month. The FIA had previously declared former president Zardari and his sister as absconders in the case.
Published in Daily Times, July 29th 2018.
