ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday recommended placing Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s name on Exit Control List (ECL) after indicting him as accused in Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
It was the second major move against Dar within two days as the anti-corruption watchdog announced on Wednesday to reopen Hudaibiya Papers Mills case while terminating Dar’s earlier position as an approver in the case.
The embattled minister is also facing a graft reference in an accountability court for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income. However, he has been skipping the proceedings as he is out of country.
The court had already issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Dar for his perpetual absence during the graft proceedings.
In the latest move, the NAB has dispatched a recommendation letter of placing the name of Ishaq Dar on ECL to the interior ministry.
‘Reopening of Hudaibiya case’
Earlier, the NAB announced to reinvestigate Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for alleged corruption in Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference in compliance with the orders of Supreme Court.
NAB would relaunch an investigation against Dar as an accused and his earlier position as approver in the case had been terminated, the anti-graft body said in a press release.
It merits mentioning here that Ishaq Dar, nominated as an accused, had became an approver in the case and made a revelation of his involvement in money laundering before the magistrate on April 25, 2000 in Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference.
Later, Dar retracted his statement and claimed the statement was gleaned under duress.
The case was quashed by Lahore High Court (LHC) and NAB did not appeal the Supreme Court over the LHC judgment.
However, the Supreme Court called upon NAB authorities to reopen the case during Panama Papers’ case proceedings after six-members Joint Investigation Team (JIT) surfaced new evidences of corruption against Sharif family members.
Subsequently, the NAB filed a Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal (CPLA) in the Supreme Court on Sept 15 for reopening of Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
