Accountability court issues Ishaq Dar's bailable arrest warrant

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday (today) issued bailable arrest warrants against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar after he failed to turn up before the court, ARY News reported.

The court was hearing a reference filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against him for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income.

During the proceedings, the anti-graft body pleaded before the court to issue arrest warrants of the finance minister for continuously evading court proceedings against him.

Issuing directives for his arrest and produce him before the court till September 25, the accountability court also called for submission of surety bond worth Rs1 million to seek bail.

As the hearing began in Judge Mohammad Bashir’s court, Dar’s protocol officer Fazal Dad appeared in court and informed the judge that the minister is presently in London.

According to informed sources, the anti-corruption watchdog has also appealed for freezing bank accounts of the finance minister.

NAB has made a written request to banks for freezing Dar’s accounts in connection with Hajveri Trust and the companies owned by him, sources said.

The sources further said that the banks are mulling over the request made by anti-corruption watchdog.

The reference was filed against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar under Section 14-c for owning assets beyond means of his income.

The national anti-graft watchdog had filed references against the Sharif family and finance minister in compliance with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case.

On July 28, the apex court had disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and ordered the filing of references against him, his children and the finance minister in light of the Panama joint investigation team report.