Court indicts Alamgir, Asma Arbab in assets case

Ishaq Khan

PESHAWAR: An Accountability court on Thursday has indicted the former federal minister Arbab Alamgir and his wife Asma Arbab in a reference accusing them of possessing assets beyond known sources of income.

According to details, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders Arbab Alamgir said he had been paying tax of all properties that had been named in the case.

Asma Alamgir termed the reference a fake and politically motivated.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had alleged that both the suspects collected assets to the tune of Rs332 million, which were disproportionate to their declared sources of income.

PPP leaders claimed innocence and stated that all their assets were acquired through known sources.

The NAB further alleged that during investigation, it was revealed that both of the suspects accumulated huge assets worth millions of rupees disproportionate to their income. As per the reference, the inquiry was authorized on November 4, 2015 that was subsequently converted into investigation with the approval of NAB executive board on January 12, 2018.

NAB said in its probe that it surfaced that the suspects accumulated movable and immovable assets including a house in G-11/3 Islamabad; 10-kanal land at Mauza Shah Alladitta, Islamabad; a bungalow in F-7/2 Islamabad; prize bonds; a land rover vehicle and several bank transactions.

Asma Alamgir has also served as an adviser to then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.