ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing a graft reference against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday dismissed his request for exemption from personal appearance on medical grounds.
Judge Muhammad Bashir directed the accused minister to ensure his appearance on the next date of hearing.
The court dismissed the request of National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecutor seeking issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants for the accused minister for not appearing on last several hearings.
The court repeated the bailable arrest warrants issued for Dar on October 30, when he did not turn up, however doubled the surety bond from Rs 1 million to Rs 2 million.
When the court resumed the hearing, Dar’s lawyer Ayesha Hamid submitted the medical certificate of her client duly verified by the Foreign Office.
She told the court that her client was undergoing cardiac treatment in London, thus he may be exempted from personal appearance.
She also requested the court to allow that her client to be represented by his pleader (legal representative) until his return.
The NAB prosecutor, however, opposed the plea and requested the court to issue non-bailable arrest warrants for the accused, as he had been absent for third consecutive time.
After hearing both the sides, the court reserved its verdict on the matter and later dismissed both the requests. The court, however, did not pass any order on the request pertaining to appointment of a ‘pleader’.
The court observed that when the accused would appear, his medical examination would be gotten conducted to ascertain the nature of ailment he was suffering from.
The court also directed the ‘guarantor’ of Dar to ensure presence of the accused on the next hearing; otherwise, the surety bonds of Rs 5 million furnished by him would be confiscated. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing until November 14.
Earlier on November 2, the court had ordered freezing of all assets of Dar in Pakistan. All accounts of Dar, except those operated by Accountant General Revenue of Pakistan (AGPR), have been frozen.
The court has so far recorded the statements of five prosecution witnesses, out of total 28 against Dar. NAB had filed a graft reference against Ishaq Dar on the Supreme Court’s July 28, 2017 orders in the Panama Papers case. Dar is accused of having assets beyond his known and declared sources of income.
Published in Daily Times, November 9th 2017.
