Court seeks details of Sehba Musharraf’s income sources

The court adjourned the hearing till October 20, 2012.

RAWALPINDI:

An anti-terrorism court on Saturday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to procure details about the independent income sources of Sehba Musharraf, wife of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Hearing a petition filed by Sehba Musharraf against the freezing of the former president’s bank accounts, Special Judge ATC-I Chaudhry Habibur Rehman asked authorities to investigate sources of income other than those of her spouse.

The former first lady requested the court to reopen 11 accounts of Pervez Musharraf, maintaining that four of the frozen accounts, worth over Rs100 million, are jointly-owned by her.

Sehba’s counsel Illyas Siddiqi said the accounts and assets were seized after Musharraf was declared a proclaimed offender following accusations of being involved in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He, however, argued the court’s decision was “wrong” and should be reversed.

FIA’s Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, on the other hand, maintained that only the offender can seek reopening of accounts – and that too, after he surrenders before the court and succeeds in obtaining bail.

The prosecutor said even the four joint accounts cannot be reopened as Sehba is dependent on her spouse, with no independent means of income.

About a confiscated farmhouse in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad, the prosecutor said the property could not be handed over as it was never owned by Sehba in the first place.

He argued the deed presented by Sehba, showing the farmhouse was given to her as a gift by Musharraf, did not stand as the property still belonged to her husband, according to the Capital Development Authority records.

The case has been adjourned till October 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2012.