Dr Asim’s corruption reference hearing deferred for a day

An accountability court (AC) on Friday adjourned the hearing of Dr Asim Hussain’s Rs462 billion corruption reference till Saturday (today) after the IO told the court that the former minister could not be produced in court owing to his surgery.

However, the court expressed displeasure over the IO’s late submission of the prison authorities’ report which maintained that Dr Hussain could not be moved since he was under treatment.

The court refrained from endorsing the report and termed it incomplete. The judge observed that such reports were to be presented on time, i.e. by 8:30am, whereas Dr Hussain should also have been produced in court for hearing by that time.

A close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, the former petroleum minister was booked by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the case along with five other accused.

The five were indicted in the case in May, 2016, however, all had pleaded not guilty. The court had then ordered the prosecution to bring evidence against the accused on record. 

Besides Dr Hussain, the other accused included former petroleum and natural resources secretary Ejaz Chaudhry, Karachi Docks Labour Board’s former CEO Safdar Hussain, Karachi Development Authority’s ex-directors Syed Athar Hussain and Masood Haider Jaffery, and Ziauddin group’s finance director Abdul Hameed.

The former minister was also booked in another case pertaining to provision of medical treatment and shelter to criminals and terrorists at his hospitals. His co-accused in the case included city mayor Waseem Akhtar, other Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders Rauf Siddiqui and Saleem Shehzad as well as Anis Qaimkhani – now a leader of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Pakistan People’s Party’s Qadir Patel and Pasban’s chief Usman Moazzam.

Dr Hussain along with all the accused in the case were granted bails by the concerned anti-terrorism court as well as the Sindh High Court.