Dr Asim innocent of all allegations, claims his attorney

The accountability court trying Dr Asim Hussain in a corruption reference heard the arguments of the former federal petroleum minister’s attorney on Saturday and adjourned the hearing until February 20.

On March 5 last year the National Accountability Bureau had filed a reference against Hussain, claiming Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL), a private company, was allowed to process gas from five fields in lower Sindh without conducting an open auction or signing agreements and without following other mandatory procedures.

Advocate Anwar Mansoor Khan argued on Saturday that none of the then ministers concerned who had dealt with JJVL were nominated in the corruption reference and that Hussain had not signed any contract and so he was innocent of all allegations.

He added that a contract for gas processing in Badin was signed in 2000 and at that time Hussain was not the petroleum minister; hence, there was no case against him.

Khan said the same matter in Badin was still being dealt with the current minister (Shahid Khaqan Abbasi), but no case was filed against him.

The court then adjourned the hearing until February 20, when Hussain’s lawyer would present further arguments to make a case for the former minister’s innocence.

Hussain is also accused of misappropriating Dr Ziauddin hospitals’ funds as chairman of the Dr Ziauddin Trust. Investigators claimed that the former minister provided shelter and treatment to target killers and terrorists at the hospitals.

The anti-terrorism court hearing the case was informed on Saturday that the former minister could not be produced before the bench because of poor health.

Hearing the plea of Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, a co-accused, who sought permission to go abroad (Iran), the court fixed February 24 as the next date of hearing and issued a notice to the state counsel for filing his arguments.

In the bail application of former MQM leader Saleem Shehzad, the court reserved its judgement until March 11 and directed him to surrender his two identification cards in the next hearing.