The accountability court hearing a corruption reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar was presented with details of the accused's bank accounts today.
Dar, a serving senator, is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income. The case was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case.
Dar has been declared a proclaimed offender in the case owing to his continuous absence from the proceedings owing to the medical treatment in London.
As the hearing resumed on Thursday, Lahore-based bankers Faisal Shehzad and Muhammad Azeem, appeared before the court.
The court had also re-summoned Masoodul Ghani and Abdul Rehman Gondal but later allowed the witnesses to leave as their statements were already recorded.
He informed the court that NAB had asked for the details in August this year.
He said Dar’s first account was operated from 2001 to 2012, second from Aug 2012 to Dec 2016 and third from Jan 2017 to Aug 2017.
The witness also presented details of Hajvery Holding Company’s account in court as well as the record of the locker operated in Dar and his wife’s name.
As the hearing went under way, the court was informed that Shehzad was unable to appear in court due to the wedding of his sister.
Later, recording his statement, Rehman provided the income records of Dar from the years 2005 to 2017.
The court then adjourned the hearing until December 18, when it has summoned five more witnesses: Cabinet Division Deputy Secretary Wasif Hussain, Commerce Deputy Director Qamar Zaman, former NADRA official Qaboos Aziz, National Assembly Director Sher Dil Khan and private bank official Faisal Shehzad.
The court also ordered Dar's bail guarantor, Ahmed Ali Qudoosi, to appear before it at 12:30pm today and submit the Rs5 million surety bond as it now stands forfeited due to Dar's absence. Failure to submit the surety amount would result in confiscation of Qudoosi's property.
The NAB’s prosecution team has submitted a list of 28 people as witnesses in the case, and have up till now recorded statements of as many as five witnesses in the case.
On November 23, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi accepted Dar’s request to be relieved of his duties as the finance minister, reported Geo News.
Dar was relieved of his three roles, including his portfolio in the finance ministry, and was informed of the decision.
Sources had said Dar would remain a federal minister as a leave of absence of three months has been granted to him.
