Corruption case: Dr Asim Hussain sent on judicial remand

Accountability court sent Dr Asim to prison while seeking the investigation report by the next hearing on February 22

KARACHI:

After having spent over five months in the custody of various law enforcing agencies, former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain was finally sent to jail on judicial remand on Tuesday.

The accountability court hearing a corruption case against Dr Asim sent him to prison while seeking the investigation report by the next hearing on February 22. Apart from terrorists’ facilitation charges, Dr Asim is facing an inquiry into alleged misuse of authority in embezzlement of public money.

At the outset of the hearing, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation officer, Zameer Abbasi, sought a 15-day extension in the suspect’s physical remand. The defence lawyers, however, opposed the extension, saying their client had spent over five months in custody and this was a violation of basic human rights.



After hearing the arguments, the administrative judge of accountability courts, Saad Qureshi, sent the suspect on judicial remand and directed for provision of better facilities there. The court also directed NAB to complete its probe and submit a report by February 22.

Dr Asim is being treated at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre by a doctors’ team on the same court’s order and is admitted there. It is still unclear if he will remain at the hospital or will be shifted to jail.

Progress report

NAB’s progress report submitted before the court stated that during the inquiry, it was established that the alleged embezzled amount was Rs462.5 billion. A number of suspects, including Karachi Docks Labour Board’s former head Safdar Hussain, Ziauddin Dubai Hospital’s administrator Abdul Hameed and former Karachi Development Authority land directors Syed Athar Hussain and Masood Haider Jaffri, were shown as absconders. The report added that Dr Asim has sought time to provide documents to justify money laundering allegations that have surfaced.



The report maintained that two former petroleum secretaries have been put on notice for questioning and will join the investigations on February 12.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2016.