LAHORE: An accountability court judge directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday to remove the name of PPP leader Qasim Zia from an inquiry being held by the bureau as he had started returning the scammed amount under a voluntarily return scheme.

Zia`s counsel told the court his client had voluntarily deposited a Rs8 million installment to NAB and the Lahore High Court also granted him bail on the same ground.

The counsel assured the judge that Zia would also submit remaining amount of Rs20 million to NAB. Therefore, he asked the court, to order removal of Zia`s name from the inquiry list of NAB.

A deputy prosecutor of NAB conceded before the court that Zia had deposited the first installment.

At this the court directed the bureau to remove Zia from its inquiry list. The court also summoned stock exchange`s scam`s co-suspects Ali Usman Chaudhry and Muhammad Ali next week.