LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau challenged on Saturday an accountability court?s decision to give a clean chit to former president Asif Ali Zardari regarding his assets.

The NAB appealed to the Lahore High Court against the accountability court?s August 26 verdict, acquitting former president Asif Ali Zardari in a reference pertaining to corruption.

The NAB in its plea stated that it has 22,000 verified documents as evidence against the former president, which are related to offshore companies, Surrey palace, and bank accounts.

For pursuing the case, the NAB constituted a team to present the case before the Rawalpindi bench of the LHC.

The NAB said that Zardari was acquitted after listening to incomplete details of the case, which set a bad example. The petition further stated that crucial witnesses were ignored in the case proceedings.

Court gives clean chit to Zardari in corruption case

NAB reference against Asif Ali Zardari has no legal standing, says court order

The NAB said that the LHC can summon further records to fully investigate and pleaded the high court to decide the case upon merit. 

Justice Khalid Mehmood Ranjha, of accountability court no 1, accepted the documents requesting acquittal of the Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson.

The reference filed by the NAB has no legal standing, stated the court order.

Zardari?s lawyer Farooq Hamid Naek spoke to Geo following the decision regarding acquittal. He had said that Zardari was acquitted in eight corruption references. Six cases were filed during Nawaz's tenure while two were filed during Pervez Musharraf?s tenure, he stated.

After the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was passed, all references against Zardari had ceased to exist. Once the NRO was revoked, Zardari had immunity as the president of Pakistan.

Another trial then commenced against Zardari when his presidential immunity ended.