Assets Reference: Ishaq Dar declared proclaimed offender

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The accountability court (AC) has on Monday declared former finance minister Ishaq Dar a proclaimed offender for failing to appear before the court in assets beyond income reference. The accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case against former finance minister Ishaq Dar. The court after listening the arguments had reserved the judgment. During the proceedings, the counsel of the former minister submitted new medical report in the court. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) lawyer while presenting his arguments said that Ishaq Dar is not a heart patient, adding that every report is different from the other one. The court while declaring the former minister a proclaimed offender (PO) for failing to appear before the court dismissed plea of Dar’s counsel to delay the process. Dar, who is receiving medical treatment in London for a heart condition, skipped the hearings despite issuance of non-bailable warrants for his arrest. He has been accused of accumulating wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The former finance minister had been relieved of his duties, following speculation about his future after he failed to appear in court to answer corruption charges. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi granted Dar sick leave. Dar, who has been charged with amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income, has missed court hearings conducted by the anti-graft agency the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The charges against Dar followed an investigation into the finances of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in July after the Supreme Court disqualified him for not declaring a small salary from his son’s off-shore company. The former minister is one of Sharif’s closest political allies and Dar’s son has married Sharif’s daughter. Both men deny any wrongdoing.