Ishaq Dar assets case: witness statement made part of supplementary reference

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing assets accumulation reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar ordered on Wednesday to make an already recorded statement of prosecution's witness part of the supplementary reference. 

Judge Mohammad Bashir resumed hearing the case and ordered to make Muhammad Azeem's statement a part of the reference against Ishaq Dar. 

During the hearing, another prosecution's witness Abdul Rehman Gondal also recorded his statement in the case.

The co-accused in the case Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi also appeared before the court. Mehmood, Rizvi along with National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmed have been accused in the supplementary reference filed by the NAB against the former finance minister.

The case hearing has been adjourned till May 2. 

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed an interim reference against Dar in September last year on the Supreme Court's directives in the Panama Papers case.

NBP president, two others indicted in Ishaq Dar corruption case

NBP President Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Rizvi and Naeem Mehmood plead not guilty to charges

On April 4, the co-accused named in the supplementary corruption reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar were finally indicted after several adjournments.

In a supplementary reference filed earlier this year, NAB named National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmed, Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi as co-accused. The latter two have been identified as directors of one of Dar's companies. All three are accused of aiding Dar in opening fictitious bank accounts and transferring money abroad.

The case

Dar, a close aide of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif, is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

Ishaq Dar assets reference: Hearing adjourned till March 20

Court had earlier reserved its decision on the plea of two other accused against their indictment

NAB filed an interim reference against Dar in September last year in light of the Supreme Court's July 28, 2017, verdict in the Panama Papers case.

The recently-filed supplementary reference is based on seven volumes and includes the account details of the accused persons, with transactions amounting to $4.06 million, according to NAB's Special Prosecutor Imran Shafiq. The three accused in the supplementary reference are identified as directors of Dar's companies.

Dar was recently re-elected to the Senate of Pakistan.