Former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has been arrested in connection with a high-profile money laundering case.
Zardari’s opposition Pakistan People’s Party has said the arrest was politically motivated. Pakistan’s anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), arrested former President Asif Ali Zardari at his home in Islamabad on Monday in connection with a high-profile money laundering case that saw hundreds of millions of dollars siphoned out of the country, as reported by Pakistani media.
Zardari and his sister are facing allegations of operating fake bank accounts for money laundering. Both deny these charges against them, and instead accuse the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan of “political victimization,” as Shazia Marri, a lawmaker from Zardari’s party, put it.
Pakistan’s anti-graft body has arrested several politicians and businessmen on corruption charges since Imran Khan took office last year.
Zardari’s arrest came after an Islamabad court rejected a bail extension request from Zardari and his sister, who is also implicated in the case but has not yet been arrested.
