Ex-president Zardari surrenders after bail plea rejected

Islamabad - Zardari has surrendered to NAB over an investigation into fake bank accounts and money laundering.

The bail plea of former Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari was rejected on Monday, a Pakistani official said, in a blow to the opposition Pakistan People's Party. A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) official said that Zardari surrendered to the department once the court announced its decision.
The former president could not be reached for comment but has denied any wrongdoing, and his PPP party says the cases are politically motivated.
Widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Zardari spent 11 years in jail on corruption and murder charges before becoming president in 2008. He was never convicted.
Earlier today, a Pakistani court rejected the request by Zardari and his sister for an extension of their bail that would allow them to remain free despite facing a multimillion-dollar money laundering case.
Zardari, currently a lawmaker in Parliament, and his sister Faryal Talpur, also a politician, are accused of having dozens of bogus bank accounts.
The anti-graft body has arrested several politicians on corruption charges since Prime Minister Imran Khan took office last year. Khan's predecessor, Nawaz Sharif, was removed from office by the Supreme Court over corruption allegations.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Secretary Information Omer Sarfaraz Cheema on Monday (June 10) said that the National Accountability Bureau was working independently in the country without any discrimination.

• Pakistan