Corruption inquiry: Dr Asim’s physical remand extended for two weeks

Medical report says current psychological disability could cause irreparable damage if left unattended

KARACHI: As the accountability court further extended on Tuesday the physical remand of former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain for two weeks in a corruption inquiry, a medical report submitted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said his current psychological disability could cause irreparable damage if not attended to immediately.

The NAB had obtained custody of Dr Asim on December 11 in connection with an inquiry regarding misuse of authority in allotment of plots and encroachment of state land for Dr Ziauddin Hospital Trust, fraud with public by running a charity hospital on commercial basis, kickbacks and commission through fertiliser cartel for illegal curtailment and money-laundering.

NAB investigators produced Dr Asim before the court after his third remand ended. The investigators sought a 15-day extension in his remand for further raids, arrests and recoveries.



However, defence lawyers Amir Naqvi and Anwar Khan opposed the request, arguing that there was no legal justification for further extension as their client has already spent around a month in NAB custody.

The lawyers alleged that NAB arrested their client without any proof and are now busy manufacturing evidence and also trying to shut down his entire medical setup by harassing clients.

They argued that the Agha Khan Hospital had also obtained land in similar fashion and were providing treatment on much higher rates than Ziauddin Hospital, but only Dr Asim's hospital was being targeted.

Expressing concerns over his deteriorating health, Dr Asim's lawyers pleaded for judicial remand.

On the other hand, NAB prosecutor Amjad Ali Shah argued that the anti-corruption body enjoys powers to keep custody of any suspect with consent of court for up to 90 days and Dr Asim's custody was still required to complete investigations.



Medical report

On Tuesday, NAB also submitted Dr Asim's medical report which said his current psychological disability could cause irreparable damage if not attended to immediately.

The report, prepared by psychiatrist Dr Syed Haroon Ahmed, explained that psychotherapy, as ordered by court to overcome Dr Asim's cognitive disability, will further harm him if undertaken in the current environment since in-depth exploration (debriefings) will push him into severe depression and provoke suicidal tendencies.

It recommended that he be kept in a more conducive environment like a hospital and provided intensive psychotherapy. He also advised an MRI of his brain.

The administrative judge of accountability courts, Saad Qureshi, extended Dr Asim's physical remand for two weeks and directed NAB to conduct his MRI and produce the report before the relevant psychiatrist.

The investigating officer, Zameer Abbasi, also submitted a progress report which stated that 56 government institutions were on Ziauddin Hospital's panel and, during 2007 and 2015, the hospital allegedly charged Rs3 billion through over-invoicing on Dr Asim's directives to charge exorbitant rates from government-run institutions.

NAB also questioned former Karachi Development Authority (KDA) land director Athar Hussain, a suspect in the inquiry, the report said, adding that the former KDA official disclosed that as per law amenity plot could not be allotted to a hospital to be run on commercial basis nor allotment could be made without approval of the governing body and price committee of KDA, but such procedure was not followed in this case. Abbasi has shown the then group finance adviser of Ziauddin Group of Hospitals and now administrator of Ziauddin Medical Centre, Dubai, Abdul Hameed, and KDA land director Hussain as absconding accused in the remand papers and submitted that Hameed was in Dubai.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2016.