ISLAMABAD: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) President Saeed Ahmed on Monday approached the Islamabad High Court, challenging the March 20 verdict of an accountability court, dismissing an application filed by him requesting the court to ‘reject’ a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) pertaining to assets case filed against former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, will hear a petition filed by the NBP president challenging the trial court’s decision.
On March 20, the court dismissed an application filed by Saeed Ahmed requesting the court to ‘reject’ a reference filed by the NAB to his extent and frame charges only when there are grounds to proceed with the trial.
The decision was made as the court heard NAB’s supplementary reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Saeed and two other accused.
Ahmed had filed the application under Section 265-D (when charge is to be framed) of the Criminal Procedure Code, praying to the court to reject the supplementary reference to his extent in view. In addition, he prayed before the court that NAB working with the slogan “say no to corruption”, be subjected to pay compensation for his false involvement in the case.
On Feb 26, the anti-graft watchdog filed a supplementary reference against Ishaq Dar in the assets case with regard to alleged accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income.
Three suspects, including NBP President Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Raza and Naeem Mehmood were nominated in the reference.
In his application, the NBP president argued he came to know in 2016 that as many as seven accounts were being operated in his name. His signatures were faked to open such accounts, he claimed.
A NAB prosecutor argued that millions of rupees were transacted into the foreign currency accounts, which were operated from 1997 to 2006.
He expressed surprise how come the NBP president was not in the know about these accounts opened in his name.
