Witness records statement in assets reference against Ishaq Dar

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing the assets reference against Senator Ishaq Dar recorded the statement of a witness today.

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

He was indicted in the case and has been absconding since November.

Later, in a supplementary reference, NAB named National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmed, Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi as co-accused in the case. Mehmood and Rizvi are directors of a company owned by Dar.

During today's hearing, prosecution witness Sher Dil Khan’s statement was recorded. 

Khan informed the court that he is the finance director at the National Assembly. He informed the court that he appeared before the investigation officer at NAB Lahore office on August 22, 2017.

He added that NAB had summoned records of Dar’s salary and allowances from him. 

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

Case hearing has been adjourned till May 2

Moreover, witness Mohammad Azeem’s cross-examination could not be held today. 

 At the last hearing of the case on April 25, the court had ordered to make an already recorded statement of the prosecution witness part of the supplementary reference.

Judge Mohammad Bashir had ordered to make Azeem's statement a part of the reference against Dar.

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

The case

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

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 and accused of opening fictitious accounts in his name. 

Dar was recently re-elected to the Senate of Pakistan but is yet to take oath as he has been in London since October last year on medical grounds.