ISLAMABAD: As the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ended its stay on accountability proceedings against defunct finance minister Ishaq Dar, the accountability court has started hearing of graft reference against Dar filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in Panama Papers case.
Dar, a close aide of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.
During today’s hearing, Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir directed NAB prosecutor Imran Shafique to summon more prosecution witnesses at the next hearings.
Shafique informed the court that statements of 10 witnesses have been recorded so far from a total of 28.
Moreover, the judge adjourned proceedings on Dar’s application to reopen the seized bank accounts of his charitable organisation, operated by Hajvery Trust, until January 24. The court directed the NAB prosecutor to submit its response to the plea at the next hearing.
Dar in the application contended that the trust runs an orphanage, where 93 orphans reside. It bears the expenses of their boarding, lodging, health and education, he added.
The hearing of the case was adjourned until January 22.
The anti-graft court resumed hearing against the former finance minister after IHC dismissed a petition filed by former finance minister Ishaq Dar seeking suspension of the accountability court’s decision to declare him a proclaimed offender and issuance of arrests warrants against him.
In December last year, the IHC, after hearing Dar’s petitions against the accountability court’s order declaring him a proclaimed offender and issuing non-bailable arrest warrants for him, barred the accountability court from proceedings against the former finance minister till January 17, 2018.
Dar had been earlier declared a proclaimed offender by the accountability court due to his continuous absence from the proceedings.
The former finance minister has been in London since October last year owing to his medical treatment.
On July 28, a five-member Supreme Court bench had ordered NAB to file three references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and one against Dar, on petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Imran Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Sirajul Haq and Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.
In its reference against the former finance minister, NAB alleged that “the accused has acquired assets and pecuniary interests/resources in his own name and/or in the name of his dependents of an approximate amount of Rs831.678 million (approx)”.
The reference alleged that the assets were “disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he could not reasonably account for”.
In November 2017, the government withdrew the portfolio of finance minister of Dar.
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