Reference against Dar: NAB requests court to summon Wajid, JIT report

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday recorded the statements of two prosecution witnesses in a reference filed against Senator Ishaq Dar and adjourned further hearing till February 8.

Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) through its special prosecutor Imran Shafique has filed an application before the accountability court, seeking requisition of the joint investigation team (JIT) report and its record from the Supreme Court registrar for recording the statement of JIT head FIA Additional Director Wajid Zia.

The application says the JIT during investigation collected voluminous incriminating material, recorded numerous statements and prepared an exhaustive report that was submitted before the Supreme Court.

The apex court through its July 28, 2017 judgment had directed NAB to file references on the basis of the JIT material and the order was duly complied with. But evidence collected by the JIT and original report along with entire set of volumes was available with the Supreme Court, it added. It says since Wajid is a prosecution witness in the references pending adjudication at the accountability court, the JIT report is a necessary document to record his statement.

It is pertinent to mention that Wajid is a prosecution witness in all the references filed against Nawaz Sharif, his family and Dar. During Wednesday’s proceedings, the NAB prosecutor told the accountability court judge, Muhammad Bashir, that the statements of 26 witnesses out of a total of 30 had already been recorded and requested to summon Wajid.

The judge, however, said he was a prosecution witness and the NAB should produce him before the court. In case, he did not appear then the court would issue summons for him. About the request to application requisition the JIT record, the verbally said it would decide the matter after the witness appeared before the court.

Meanwhile, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Registrar Sidra Mansoor and Deputy Registrar Salman Saeed recorded their statements. Sidra completed her statement. On Jan 30, she had produced details of six companies of Dar, including HDS Securities Private limited, Muhammad Bukhsh Textile Mills Limited, CNG Pakistan Limited, Pakistan Development Fund Limited, Gulf Insurance Company Limited and Chaudhry Sugar Mills Limited.

On the other hand, Salman produced certified copies of the record of six companies including Spencer Pharma Pvt Ltd, Spencer Distribution Pvt Ltd, Hajveri Holdings Pvt Ltd, Haveri Modaraba Management Pvt Ltd, Core Chemical Pvt Ltd and Hudaibiya Engineering Pvt Ltd.

He told the court that the Spencer Pharma was initially registered as CE Fulford Pakistan Private Limited in 1954 under the Companies Act, 1913. Later, it changed its name to FISONS Pakistan Pvt Ltd and then became Spencer Pharma and again merged into Spencer and Company Pvt Ltd.