KARACHI: An accountability court on Monday fined a co-accused’s lawyer over absence in the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) graft case.
According to details, the case pertaining to corruption allegation worth Rs 18 billion against the former president of NBP, Syed Ali Raza, was heard by the court on Monday.
Raza and other co-accused were presented before the court. After coming to know that the lawyer representing a co-accused Tariq Khawaja was absent, the accountability court judge expressed displeasure and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.
The court also directed Khawaja to ensure his lawyer’s presence in the next hearing.
The hearing was later adjourned till April 19.
The ex-NBP president and 16 others, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, have been facing an inquiry over the alleged corruption of Rs 18 billion during 2003 to 2012 at the NBP branch in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
In September 2017, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested the ex-NBP chief on charges of corruption after the Sindh High Court turned down his bail request.
The NAB had filed a reference against the former NBP chief and other officials for allegedly misusing their authority by granting and revising financing facilities in the NBP Bangladesh branch that caused a loss of $185 million to the national exchequer.
