F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The accountability court issued bailable warrants of arrest of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar after he failed to appear before the court on Wednesday.
Ishaq Dar had been summoned by court in corruption case for possessing assets beyond declared sources of income. The reference had been ordered by the Supreme Court in its Panama case verdict on July 28.
As the hearing began in Judge Mohammad Bashir’s court, Dar’s protocol officer Fazal Dad appeared in court and informed the judge that the minister is presently in London.
The NAB prosecutor pleaded the court to issue arrest warrants to ensure Dar’s presence in court. Following this, the court went into a recess to decide on the bureau’s plea and returned with the directions of ordering bailable warrants of arrest for the finance minister.
The court ordered for submission of the bail bond of Rs1 million and adjourned the hearing until September 25, ordering Dar to be present in court at the next hearing. Dar was also directed to nominate someone who would serve as a bail bondsperson.
On Wednesday, NAB Lahore also directed State Bank of Pakistan and all banks of the country to freeze Dar’s accounts. The anti-graft watchdog also instructed the banks to inform it immediately after taking the said action
