Corruption reference: Co-accused in Dr Asim case move SHC against indictment

Accountability court defers framing of charges till May 28

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Friday notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on a petition deferring indictment of eight co-accused in a Rs17 billion corruption reference against former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain and others.

The indictment of former president Asif Ali Zardari's close aide, which has already been deferred four times, took an interesting turn on Friday as the co-accused approached the high court against their likely indictment by the accountability court.

The case revolves around the award of contracts to a private gas processing company, Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL), which has been accused of illegally obtaining five gas fields in lower Sindh. The prosecution alleges that JJVL was given the contract without following procedure.

It was maintained that, during this alleged illegal process, a loss of Rs17.3 billion was incurred to the national exchequer due to misuse of authority by the former minister, and top serving and retired officials of Sui Southern Gas Company and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited. JJVL's chief executive officer Iqbal Z Ahmed is also nominated in the case.

On Friday, as the accountability court was set to frame charges, the defence pleaded to postpone he indictment, saying their clients had approached the SHC.

A division bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh, has issued notices to NAB and others to file comments on the petition by May 25. As a result, accountability courts' administrative judge Saad Qureshi decided to wait for the outcome of the SHC hearing, and postponed indictment till May 28, despite the NAB prosecutor's insistence to the contrary, citing the fact that the SHC had not issued a restraining order.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2016.