£190m reference NAB cross-examination not completed

RAWALPINDI: Cross-examination of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Investigation Officer (IO) Mian Umar Nadeem could not be completed even on the 33rd appearance.

The accountability court adjourned the hearing of the £190 million reference till Thursday (today). During the hearing, the court, on the objection of the prosecution, stopped the defence lawyers from asking unnecessary questions.

Accountability Court Islamabad Judge Nasir Javed Rana heard the £190 million reference in Adiala jail, where PTI founder Imran Khan, imprisoned in the same jail, was presented before the court. His wife, Bushra Bibi, who was released on bail, also appeared in the court.

During the hearing, Bushra Bibi’s lawyer Usman Gul cross-examined the investigating officer of the case. NAB Prosecutor Amjad Pervez objected to the lawyer’s unnecessary questions and said that even the Supreme Court had declared unnecessary questions as an undesirable act. The time of the court was being wasted by asking unnecessary questions, the prosecutor said adding that the investigating officer was a formal witness in the case, and he was not an eyewitness. He said the witness was being asked how many pages in the 10 volumes of the reference had the word ‘confidential’ written on them.

The NAB prosecutor said all the pages on which ‘confidential’ was written were part of the record. That was an unnecessary question, and the lawyers could ask the witness any question except such questions. The court upheld the objection of the prosecution and stopped the lawyers from asking unnecessary questions.

The defence lawyers said they would challenge in the high court the trial court’s move of declaring NAB’s objection valid. NAB Prosecutor Amjad Pervez said lawyers could challenge any decision of the court but could not conduct the trial on their own will. Later, the court adjourned further hearing till Thursday (today).