Dr Asim being taken to the court by the police. PHOTO: AFP
Emaduddin, a section officer at the provincial revenue department, deposed before the accountability courts’ administrative judge Saad Qureshi that Dr Asim was allotted more than 25 acres in Korangi and around two acres in Malir.
The revenue official also corroborated the prosecution claim of having obtained the copies of allotment documents from his department.
Emaduddin is the second witness to have testified in court in connection with the case. Earlier, a witness, who was a former auditor of Ziauddin Hospitals, had told the judge that the private health facilities run by Dr Asim were running as business entities and not as a trust.
Corruption reference: Co-accused in Dr Asim case move SHC against indictment
During the hearing, the former minister’s attorney complained of not having received the certified copies of the land allotment documents to which the judge asked the prosecution to arrange certified copies from the relevant department.
Meanwhile, the judge also framed charges on Abdul Hameed, finance director of Ziauddin Group. During the process, the judge asked, as a formality, if he confessed to the charges levelled against him by the prosecution. Hameed declined and opted to contest.
The reference primarily is about a scam in which gas to the agriculture sector was ‘illegally’ curtailed to benefit a particular group associated with the fertilizer industry. Dr Asim was holding the portfolio of minister of petroleum when this happened.
According to the prosecution, the prices of fertilizers were arbitrarily raised due to gas curtailment. Due to this phenomenon, it is believed that the national exchequer suffered a ‘huge’ loss while the then minister and his associates received kickbacks in return from the fertilizer group.
Additionally, the reference also read about land scam, fraud with public and money laundering. It is maintained by the prosecution that Dr Asim misused the trust status awarded to his health facilities and ran it as a business. He is also accused of grabbing amenity plots and other land for his hospitals. Also he has been alleged of laundering money out of the country.
Former petroleum secretary Ejaz Chaudhry, Karachi Docks Labour Board’s former director Safdar Hussain, Karachi Development Authority’s former directors Syed Athar Hussain and Masood Haider Jaffri have been named as co accused in the case. The hearing has been adjourned till June 8.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2016.
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