SECP official records statement against Dar in illegal assets reference

ISLAMABAD: Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) official Sidra Mansur on Tuesday recorded her statement, as the accountability court resumed its proceedings in the illegal assets reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

NAB also summoned SECP Deputy Registrar Salman Saeed to record his statement.

At the last hearing, Inland Revenue Commissioner Ishtiaq Ahmed had said that from Rs9.1 million declared assets in 1993, the minister’s wealth grew to Rs830m in 2009; adding that according to Dar’s tax returns, the paid taxes increased from Rs0.7m in 1993 to Rs40m in 2009.

NAB officials Shakeel Anjum Nagra, Iqbal Hasan and Umer Daraz Gondal; and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan officials Sidrah Mansoor, Salman Saeed had also recorded their statements as witnesses before the court.

The accountability court judge gave the NAB prosecutor two days to present as many witnesses in court as he was able to.

NAB REFERENCE:

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”.

The court has declared him a proclaimed offender over his perpetual absence from the trial proceedings and attached his movable and immovable properties.

In November 2017, the government withdrew the portfolio of finance minister of Dar.