Accountability courts upset with delays in Dr Asim Hussain reference

NAB told to file comments by March 5

KARACHI: Expressing displeasure over delays in filing a reference against former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain, the accountability court has granted time to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to do so by March 5.

On Monday, NAB officials presented Dr Asim, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, before the accountability court.

The investigation officer, Zameer Ahmed Abbasi, said investigation into five allegations, including corruption, misappropriation, creating artificial shortage of natural gas, money laundering, illegal use of his private hospital and land grabbing, had been finalised. The same has been forwarded to the senior officer.

Subsequently, a reference has been approved by the NAB chairperson that will be filed in court till February 29, said Abbasi, adding that the record of the case to be submitted in court is being photocopied and aligned. He requested the court to allow 14-day custody of the accused to file a reference against him under the provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

The administrative judge of the accountability courts, Saad Qureshi, came down hard on the investigation officer, observing that the accused is going to complete three months in custody on February 26 and questioned why a reference has not yet been finalised against him.

The special public prosecutor said the reference is being prepared and will be placed in court by the next hearing.

Objecting to the request, Dr Asim's lawyer, Anwar Mansoor Khan, contended that the allegations levelled against Dr Asim by NAB are meant only to target him for political victimisation since, he claimed, NAB is working on political grounds.

Khan said the NAB chairperson himself had become controversial since he himself faces inquiry in the NICL case, thus he should resign and face the allegations against him.

Non-bailable warrants for absconders

Earlier, Dr Asim was presented before the anti-terrorism court, which is hearing a case against him as well as the MQM and PPP leaders over treatment and sheltering of the terrorists at Ziauddin Hospital. The Rangers lawyer filed an application, stating the investigation officer of the case was not investigating the matter in a fair and just manner.

He alleged that nine important bills regarding the treatment of MQM men at Ziauddin Hospital, which were kept at the maal khana, had gone missing from the records. Therefore, he requested the court order registration of a case against the IO and others.

Taking note of the IO's failure to arrest the absconding accused, the ATC-I judge issued non-bailable warrants for arrest of MQM's Saleem Shehzad and Anis Qaimkhani and PPP's Qadir Patel.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2016.