Asset accumulation case: Accountability court once again adjourns hearing against Ishaq Dar

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing the corruption reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar was expected to indict the co-accused named in the supplementary reference however the court was forced to adjourn the hearing owing to the absence of one of the accused counsel.

The Accountability watchdog filed an interim reference against Dar in September last year on the Supreme Court’s directives in the Panama Papers case.

The NAB filed a supplementary reference and named National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmed, Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi as co-accused. All three are accused of aiding Dar in opening fictitious bank accounts and transferring money abroad.

As the hearing went under way, the judge was forced to adjourn the proceedings once more owing to the absence of Ahmed’s lawyer, Hashmat Habib.

All three co-accused were present in court today.

The hearing will now take place on April 2.

Ishaq Dar, who has been absconding in the case since October last year, has already been indicted in the case.

During the last hearing of the case on Wednesday, court ordered Mehmood and Rizvi to submit surety bonds worth Rs1 million each and adjourned the hearing till March 30 after Ahmed’s counsel informed that he has been granted an exemption from appearance.

Ishaq Dar, a senior leader of PML-N and close aide of Nawaz Sharif, is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

NAB filed an interim reference against Dar in September last year in light of the Supreme Court’s July 28, 2017, verdict in the Panama Papers case.

The three accused in the supplementary reference are identified as directors of Dar’s companies.