03 January 2004	Saturday	10 Ziqa'ad 1424

KARACHI, Jan 2: Former divisional commissioner and federal joint secretary Ziaul Islam has unaccounted for assets worth about Rs 33 million according to the list of his properties produced by his wife's counsel , a National Accountability Bureau prosecutor submitted in the Sindh High Court on Friday.

Contesting a habeas corpus petition moved by his wife, Ms Kausar Perveen, or its conversion into a bail plea, Advocate Amaullah Khan claimed that according to the NAB record and the list produced by Advocate Khalid Anwer, petitioner's counsel, the accused received a total of about Rs 16.3m during his service while he and his wife possessed assets worth about Rs 50m.

The petitioner has concealed the fact that she being a beneficiary was a co-accused in the NAB reference against her husband. The NAB counsel argued that the habeas corpus petition was not maintainable because Mr Islam had been lawfully detained for his trial by an accountability court under the NAB Ordinance.

No discretionary relief could be granted on the petition as neither the trial court nor the high court had jurisdiction to grant bail to a NAB accused. A division bench, comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Rehmat Hussain Jaferi, decided to hear further arguments on the petition on Jan 12.