Court reserves verdict in Dar’s disproportionate assets case

Ishaq Dar’s assets beyond means case is once again in the spotlight after it was temporarily subdued to pave the way for his return to handle the Finance Ministry amidst an economic crisis.

The finance minister has filed an acquittal plea besides other petitions, including one seeking exemption from personal appearance. While the latter was accepted following a brief hearing, an accountability court in the federal capital reserved its verdict on the acquittal plea.

Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir reserved the verdict after hearing both sides of the argument during the hearing on Monday. He will announce the judgement on Tuesday.

Dar faces charges of possessing assets beyond known sources of income. The case was first filed in December 2017 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in light of the Supreme Court’s (SC) July 28, 2017 verdict in the Panama Papers case.

As the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader continued to evade proceedings, he was declared a proclaimed offender.

However, this year in October, when the former finance czar was being called back to hold the charge once again, the court suspended his arrest warrants and barred the anti-corruption body from nabbing him upon return.

Dar subsequently appeared before the court after returning to the country. During the hearing, the newly-appointed finance minister’s counsel argued for the cancellation of his arrest warrants – a plea that was accepted by the court.