Assets case: Judge defers indictment of co-accused after lawyer's misbehavior

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in the federal capital deferred indictment of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) President Saeed Ahmed and two other co-accused in the assets reference filed against former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

As Judge Muhammad Bashir resumed hearing of the case, the suspects along with their counsels appeared before him.

At the start of the hearing, Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Javed Akbar, who represented co-accused Mansoor Raza, misbehaved with the judge, impolitely asking for adjournment of the case.

His behavior angered the judge who asked him to calm down and furnish his power of attorney. “Will you shoot me,” the lawyer blurted out and left the court along with his client without court permission after submitting his power of attorney.

Afterwards, the judge directed a court official to call out Raza and issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest upon his failure to appear.

The accountability judge also served a show-cause notice on the IHCBA president for misbehaving with him.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till 05.

On Feb 26, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a supplementary reference against Ishaq Dar in the assets case with regard to alleged accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income.

Three suspects, including Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Raza and Naeem Mehmood, were nominated in the reference.