Arrest Warrants Issued For Former PM Gilani and Amin Fahim
Non-bailable warrants were issued by an anti-corruption court in Karachi for the arrest of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Yousuf Raza Gilani and Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
Furthermore, the judge ordered authorities to arrest the two PPP leaders by September 10 and present them before the court. The order was issued once the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented a final charge-sheet with 12 new cases registered against the PPP leaders before the court.
A day before these arrest warrants were issued, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari’s close confidante Dr. Asim Hussain was also arrested.
The federal government has previously given formal permission to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest former prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, and former minister for commerce, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, in connection with the multi-billion Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) scandal. As a result, both individuals, who are also senior leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had started consultation with renowned legal experts to ensure their legal defense in view of their possible arrest.
The court orders came after the pair failed to appear in court to defend themselves against 12 corruption cases presented by the FIA, which took the total number of charges against them to 24. The pair were on bail for the 12 previous cases. They stand accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes while in power.
