Guarantor gets last chance to present Ishaq Dar in court until Dec 4

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday gave a guarantor of absconding former finance minister Ishaq Dar a last chance to present him before it for his trial in a reference filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). 

Judge Muhammad Bashir warned Ahmed Ali Quddusi to present Dar in the court until December 4, or else his surety bonds worth Rs5 million will be confiscated.

Quddusi told the judge that the former finance minister had lately undergone angiography and the report is awaited. It may take him three to four more weeks to return to Pakistan, he added.

He said he himself was going to London to inquire about the health of Dar.

NAB prosecutor Imran Shafique opposed Quddusi’s plea, saying he was granted enough time to present the absconding accused in the court, but he had failed so far.

Dar has been accused of amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income in the reference filed against him in compliance with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers.

At previous hearing, the court declared the former finance minister an absconder and issued a show cause notice to his guarantor to explain as why his surety bonds worth Rs five million should not be confiscated for failing to ensure presence of the accused in the court.

Guarantor Ahmed Ali Quddusi filed a reply to the show-cause notice, requesting the court to grant him three weeks to produce Dar before it.

Dar, who is currently in London, has repeatedly skipped the court hearings despite issuance of non-bailable warrants for his arrest.