Benazir murder case: Transactions being made in two frozen accounts of Musharraf

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Terrorism Court, Rawalpindi, hearing former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s murder case, on Tuesday expressed anger when it emerged that transactions had been made from two of the frozen accounts of former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

Judge Muhammad Asghar Khan directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit a detailed report till February 15 that how a proclaimed offender continued transactions from two bank accounts while his accounts and other moveable and immovable property was frozen by the court orders.

The court had attached the accounts and other moveable and immovable assets of Musharraf after he was declared a proclaimed offender for his repeated absence in the Benazir Bhutto murder case in which he was an accused.

Musharraf is taking money from two bank accounts from Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Askari Bank. During the last hearing on December 15, 2018, the ATC judge issued arrest warrants for the FIA Inspector and Investigation Officer Muhammad Azmat who failed to appear in the court.

It is worth mentioning that the ATC had already dismissed an application filed by HBL for unfreezing the accounts of Musharraf. In its verdict, the court said that HBL was not an aggrieved party and it could not file an application on behalf of Musharraf who was a fugitive. According to directives issued by the State Bank, a scheduled bank could not open a trust account operated by an individual. According to a report submitted by the FIA, Musharraf’s assets included a 1,000 square yards plot in Sanghar Housing Society, Gwadar, a farmhouse in Islamabad, agricultural land registered in the name of his wife Sahba Musharraf in Kotha Kalan, near Soan River, and Rs120 million in 15 banks accounts.

The court had issued permanent warrants for Musharraf’s arrest for deliberately avoiding the hearing and ordered the FIA and district administration to provide details of his property.