Four graft referrals against Zardari are returned by an Islamabad court, while others are sent to the NAB

Four references, including a money laundering case against the former president Asif Ali Zardari and others, were handed back to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday by an accountability court in the federal capital.

Farooq Naek, the defence attorney for Mr. Zardari, and the NAB prosecutors presented their cases before Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir, who then delivered the judgement.

After the National Accountability Ordinance was amended, Mr. Naek said, the NAB court lacked the authority to hear cases like these.

After the arguments, the judge gave the anti-corruption body the money laundering referrals against Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Hussain Lawai, and others.