Prosecution witness cross-examined in Dr Asim graft trial

An accountability court on Saturday adjourned the hearing of a reference pertaining to charges of corruption of more than Rs17 billion in Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited against former federal petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain and other defendants till April 30.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed the reference in March 2016 against Hussain, who is a Pakistan Peoples Party leader and close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, and then senior officers of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), alleging their involvement in the multi-billion-rupee corruption in the award of illegal contracts of five gas fields in Sindh to Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL).

During the day’s hearing, a prosecution witness, Azmat, was cross-examined by the defence attorneys, who disputed his statement.

The judge snubbed an attorney for a co-accused, Basharat Mirza, saying that it was not fair to ask irrelevant questions from the prosecution witness.

The judge directed the attorney to limit himself to the cross-examination of the statement the witness had already recorded.

The court later announced cross-examination of other witnesses on April 30. Dr Asim Hussain, Zohair Siddiqui, Basharat Mirza and other co-accused attended the proceedings.

The court has indicted Hussain and seven co-accused in the reference. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Hussain, former SSGC managing director Zohair Siddiqui and other officials of the gas utility, including Khalid Rehman, Malik Usman, Basharat Mirza, Jameel Ansari and Shaoib Warsi, have been indicted in the case. In all, 11 people are alleged to have committed fraud and misappropriated huge funds.

Hussain along with other accused is also facing another reference wherein he is alleged to have misappropriated funds of more than Rs462 billion.

Ejaz Chaudhry, Safdar Hussain, Syed Athar Hussain, Masood Haider Jaffery, Abdul Hameed are among the co-accused in this reference pertaining to charges of land fraud amounting to Rs9.5 billion, money laundering amounting to Rs3 billion and misuse of authority, and criminal breach of trust through a fertilizer scam of Rs450 billion.