IHC bars accountability court from proceedings against Dar till Jan 17

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has barred the accountability court from proceedings against former finance minister Ishaq Dar till January 17, 2018.

Hearing Dar’s petitions against the accountability court’s order declaring him a proclaimed offender and issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants for him, a two-member IHC bench granted a stay on the accountability court’s proceedings against the PML-N leader till January 17, 2018.

Justice Athar Minullah and Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurengzeb heard the petitions.

The accountability court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Dar on Nov 14. On Nov 21, the court had declared him an absconder and warned his guarantor, Ahmed Ali Qadoosi, that his surety bonds worth Rs5 million would be confiscated if Dar failed to join the trial proceedings.

In a hearing on Dec 14, the accountability court had declared Dar a proclaimed offender and sought a report on properties and assets of his guarantor from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Dar had subsequently moved the IHC against the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants for him and an order declaring him a proclaimed offender.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IHC granted a 24-hour stay on the accountability court’s judgment about confiscation of property of Dar’s guarantor.

Hearing the petition filed by Dar’s guarantor Ahmed Ali Qadoosi against the judgment of the accountability court, the IHC granted a 24-hour stay on the order, a day after the investigation officer of the NAB submitted details of the guarantor’s movable properties to the accountability court.

Dar is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

A reference against the former finance minister was filed by the NAB in the accountability court in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case.