The Supreme Court of Pakistan today directed the government to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister. It also asked the country's anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in the Rs 35 billion fake accounts case. According to Dawn news, the Supreme Court ordered the government to remove the names of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the ECL.
However, the apex court referred the report and material collected by the JIT in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case' to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) As many as 172 suspects were placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendations of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the apex court. A person cannot fly abroad if his name is placed on the ECL. The judgement authored by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan said, "Removing of the names will not prevent (the) NAB to probe and in case sufficient material is found connecting these individuals with cognisable offences, it will not be precluded from making an appropriate request to the federal government to place their names on (the) ECL again or take any appropriate action provided by law."
The JIT probe focused on 32 alleged fake accounts which were used to give massive financial benefits to former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and several others.
