Court rejects plea seeking Zardari's transfer to hospital

Islamabad [Pakistan], Oct 15 (ANI): An accountability court on Tuesday rejected a plea seeking the transfer of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari from jail to a hospital.
The former president is currently on judicial remand till October 22 in the fake accounts case. Zardari had moved the court on October 4 seeking it to declare a hospital a sub-jail for him, Dawn News reported.
However, on Tuesday, the court rejected the plea maintaining that the matter "does not fall in the court's jurisdiction".
Judge Mohammad Bashir, while pronouncing the previously reserved decision, directed Zardari to approach the "relevant forum" for the matter.
The judge in its three-page verdict declared that the court cannot declare a hospital a sub-jail, as sought in the plea. According to the verdict, jail authorities can declare a hospital a sub-jail through an executive order.
The court advised the petitioner to, therefore, approach the jail authorities with his request.
The court also ordered the jail superintendent to act upon the recommendations of the medical officers or medical board.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Zardari on June 10 after the cancellation of his pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court in the fake bank accounts case.
On August 16, the court had sent the former president to Adiala jail on judicial remand.
The case pertains to a massive money laundering scam that was being probed by the Federal Investigation Agency.
The suspects include Zardari, Talpur, former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai, Omni Group CEO Anwar Majeed and his sons and several other high profile persons.
The case was later taken over by NAB on the Supreme Court's orders. (ANI)