Hearing of Dr Asim’s graft case put off as witness fails to show up

The accountability court (AC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing of the Rs462bn corruption reference filed against Dr Asim Hussain till November 21 after the witness who was to be cross-examined did not show up.
The court expressed displeasure over the witness’s absence before it was further informed that some work was suspended due to the demise of a senior local lawyer. Having recorded his statement at a previous hearing and also partially cross-questioned by Dr Asim’s attorneys, witness, Muhammad Akram, was to be further cross-examined at Thursday’s hearing.
On the attorneys demand that the witness presents documents for proof, the court had during the previous hearing directed Akram to produce the evidence and advised Dr Asim’s attorneys to conduct further cross-examination at the next hearing.
A senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former petroleum minister Dr Asim along with several others is facing two corruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The second one concerns committing corruption of around Rs17 billion.
Besides the former minister, Zohair Siddiqui, Shoaib Wasim, Basharat Mirza, Iqbal Z Ahmed, Malik Usman, former SSGC MD Khalid Usman, Athar Hussain, Muhammad Safdar and others are also facing the corruption references.
Media talk
Referring to his meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar, while speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, he said he was not ready to comment on Dr Sattar’s role and on the issue of his meeting with him.
Replying to another question, he said it was astonishing that a disqualified prime minister has chosen to send indirect messages for the judiciary in his political statements. The PPP leader said every institution was independent and it was unfair of Nawaz Sharif to convey messages to the judiciary through political statements.
Ex-IG Sindh, AIG cases
No statement could be recorded in the former provincial police chief, Ghulam Hyder Jamali, after the prosecution’s witness, SSP Naim Shaikh, did not turn. The hearing was put off till November 25.
The ex Sindh Insepctor General of police has been charged with allegations of committing corruption of over Rs500 million along with other police officers. He is accused making illegal appointments against 881 posts at Hyderabad’s police department.
Jamali and his co-accused have all been granted bail by the Sindh High Court; they include former Assistant Inspector General Finance, Fida Hussain Shah, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ghulam Nabi Kario, Ayaz Hussain Memon and Abdul Razzaq.
The ex-IG is also facing another corruption reference along with co-accused Tanveer Ahmed Tahir; the were produced before the accountability court housed at the central prison.
The two are alleged to have made over Rs50 million against fake petrol bills. The judge rejected an application moved by Tahir that requesting the court to direct prison authorities to provide him due medical treatment.
The court observed that Tahir is not ill, hence, it was not justified to issue any special orders for his treatment. In this corruption reference, Shah and Tahir were not granted bail, although they had approached the SHC as well as the Supreme Court but their pleas were rejected. The trial court has already indicted both the accused in this corruption reference.