KARACHI: Omni Group Chairman Anwar Majeed on Wednesday excused himself from appearing in court in the fake bank accounts case, claiming that he has “bipolar disorder”.
At the outset of the hearing, Majeed’s lawyer presented a medical certificate that said his client suffered from the mental disorder.
In response, the court expressed its reservations over the chairman’s absence, adding that this would become a frequent excuse for people looking to avoid court proceedings.
“This disease is not something very severe that the suspect could not be brought for the case hearing,” the judge said, as he rejected the medical report and summoned the doctor at the next hearing.
THE CASE:
The case was initially registered in 2015 against former Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE) chairman Hussain Lawai, who is widely believed to be close to former president Zardari.
In July, Lawai was arrested in connection with the probe along with Anwar Majeed, and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed, were also arrested by the FIA. Lawai, Majeed and his son remain under custody for interrogation.
Investigations so far have revealed that several ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made.
The amount, according to the FIA, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
