ISLAMABAD, (DNA) – : The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to former president Asif Ali Zardari in a suo motu case pertaining to money laundering of billions of rupees through fake accounts. He has been directed to submit reply by December 28.

Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and close aides Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed, former Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) chairman Hussain Lawai and Summit Bank Senior Vice-President Taha Raza are among those being investigated by a seven-member top court-constituted joint investigation team  led by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director General Najaf Mirza.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan hearing the case at the apex court’s registry in Lahore, also froze assets of Omni Group.

As the hearing began, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar directed court staff to install a projector to display findings of the JIT report submitted by the team last week. While presenting the JIT report, Mirza revealed that the money in fake accounts was being used to pay expenses of Bilawal House in Karachi and Lahore – the land for party HQ in Punjab’s capital is owned by Zardari Group.