KARACHI: An accountability court here on Saturday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to ensure the presence of its witnesses in a Rs17 billion corruption case involving Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Dr Asim Hussain.
The accountability judge expressed annoyance over the bureau’s failure to present witnesses in court and directed that their presence must be ensured on the next hearing.
The court adjourned the hearing until Feb 2.
Dr Asim Hussain, a close aide of former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, is facing two corruption references pertaining to alleged corruption of over Rs460 billion through fraudulent allotment of land for expansion of his hospital in Karachi and money laundering.
He has also been accused of fraudulently awarding contracts for five gas fields to the Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited, which allegedly caused a loss of Rs17.338bn to the national exchequer.
The former petroleum minister was arrested on August 25, 2015, by the Sindh Pakistan Rangers and remained in their custody for 90 days. He was then handed over to the police for further probe and remained in custody on judicial remand for over a year before being released on bail by the Sindh High Court (SHC).