The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to file another supplementary reference against former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday as the accountability court rejected his petition.
ISLAMABAD, (Pakistan Point News - 14th Feb, 2018) : The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to file another supplementary reference against former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday as the accountability court rejected his petition. Proceedings in the Ishaq Dar assets and sources of income reference resumed after they were postponed till 11 30 am. The court rejected Ishaq Dar’s request to not freeze his assets and stopped the former finance minister from selling his the assets.
“NAB did not seize any assets from Mr Dar–they will remain frozen,” said Justice Muhammed Bashir. NAB prosecutor Imran Shafiq informed the court that important progress had been made in Ishaq Dar’s investigation. “The supplementary reference is ready–we just need the approval,” he said. “We have acquired important evidence that cannot be disclosed here.” The court rejected NAB’s appeal to issue arrest warrants for witness Inam-ul-Haq.
The court issued a summon for the witness, giving him a last chance to present himself before the court. Proceedings of the case were postponed till February 23, 2018. Earlier, the accountability court had adjourned the hearing till 11:30am today. Justice Muhammed Bashir of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Court opened today’s proceedings, the NAB prosecutor pleaded with the court that they require some time to present the Investigation Officer in court.
On this, the judge adjourned the proceedings till 11;30am allowing time for Investigation Office to show up before the court. In previous hearing, Wajid Zia, the former chief of the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT), submitted volume one and nine of the JIT report and got his statement recorded before the court. Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, appeared today before the NAB court and briefed the court that the Supreme Court ordered to form the JIT under him on May 5 after the FIA recommended his name to be included in the JIT.
He briefed the court that Dar’s 1991 wealth statement showed his assets at Rs9.1 million which rose to Rs831.6 million in the 2008-09 statement. In a hearing on February 8, Wajid Zia appeared along with Nadir Abbas, an investigation officer in the case to record his statement. Zia told Judge Mohammad Bashir that he does not have the JIT’s final report available with him as all the record was submitted to the Supreme Court.
Responding to it, the judge said he will write to the apex court’s registrar to provide the JIT report and decreed the court will record Zia’s statement on February 12. Dar is accused of possessing assets beyond known sources of income. The NAB filed a corruption reference against him in light of the apex court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama papers case. Following his indictment by the NAB court, Dar left for London in October last year for medical treatment, Dar has not attended any court proceedings ever since. Dar filed an application to the NAB court to unfreeze his assets which were seized last year at NAB’s behest. The reserved its verdict on February 7. On this, the court declared him a proclaimed offender and his property and assets were also ordered to be seized.
