ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court, on Tuesday, reserved its verdict after both parties completed arguments on the plea of the accused on the court’s jurisdiction on the assets beyond means case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar and others.
Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir while hearing the case, reserved its judgment till October 21 after the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments on the court’s jurisdiction. The court will decide whether Dar will be acquitted of the corruption reference or whether the case against him will proceed further.
In light of a Supreme Court’s judgment that struck down amendments made to the accountability law, the Accountability Court has summoned the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister in the corruption case.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Afzal Qureshi and defence counsel QaziMisbah appeared before the court.
Dar's counsel while arguing before the court said that the same court had heard arguments on his client's acquittal application on November 22, 2022.
The Accountability Court had also announced its verdict on Dar’s acquittal plea, he said, adding that the same court had already announced its verdict regarding Dar's case.
The NAB prosecutor said that the same court had shown his mind and the decision to reconcile the case to record was correct.
The judge inquired that did the new law be applied to this case. To this, Dar's lawyer said that instead of closing reference, his client be acquitted from this case. The prosecution has failed to produce evidence against Dar, he said, adding that section 9A has also been removed.
He said that the NAB had not produced any evidence before the court against his client till he filed an acquittal plea for his client. If the NAB wants to present any fresh evidence then he will submit his arguments, he said.
The judge said the prosecution told the court that there was no evidence against Dar. The court, after hearing arguments, reserved its verdict till October 21.
The reference against Dar and others was filed by the NAB in September 2017 on the recommendations of the Supreme Court in its Panama Papers case verdict.
Former National Bank President (NBP) president Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Raza Rizvi, and NaeemMehmood, the directors of Ishaq Dar’s Hajveri Modaraba are the co-accused in the same case.
The same court in December 2017 declared Dar “a proclaimed offender” as he failed to appear before the court, despite repeated summons.
The PML-N leader returned to the country on September 26, 2017, and appeared before the court. The court sent a reference against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and others on November 21, 2022, back to NAB in the wake of the amendment made by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.
In the reference against Dar, the 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 Rs 831.678 million. The reference alleged that the assets were disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he could not reasonably account for.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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