ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court, on Monday, acquitted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar in the assets beyond means case.

Accountability Court judge, Muhammad Bashir, while announcing its reserved verdict acquitted Dar and co-accused on the basis of the report filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that there was no evidence of corruption against the former finance minister.

NAB prosecutor Afzal Qureshi and defence counsel Qazi Misbah appeared before the court.

During the hearing, Dar’s counsel told the court that “you had conducted the entire trial and that statements of witnesses were also before you.”

The court has also conducted an indictment of the accused in this case, he said, adding the court in its previous judgment wrote that there was no evidence against my client.

“My client should have been acquitted after the NAB failed to prove the allegation levelled against him,” he said.

The judge asked the NAB prosecutor to present the court in written form from Prosecutor General NAB that the NAB does not have enough evidence to prove Ishaq Dar and his co-accused guilty and the case must be quashed.

“If the NAB has no objection over the acquittal of Dar and the other accused then submit it in writing as tomorrow NAB may backtrack,” he said.

The NAB prosecutor said that “we have presented arguments on merit; therefore, the court should announce its verdict. Submit your reply in writing and the court will announce its verdict at 1:00 pm.”

Later, announcing its verdict, the court acquitted Dar and other co-accused. The court in its order said there was no evidence of corruption against Dar; therefore, the case could not proceed further.

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 of Pakistan (NBP) president Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Raza Rizvi, and Naeem Mehmood 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 the NAB in the wake of amendment made by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023