ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday heard testimony from a witness in a reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar and allowed the co-accused, former National Bank of Pakistan president Saeed Ahmed, to advance additional arguments in his plea seeking acquittal in the reference.

Judge Mohammad Bashir had reserved judgement earlier on the application seeking Mr Ahmed’s acquittal.

Mohammad Aftab, a witness for the prosecution, recorded his statement before the court and submitted records related to Mr Dar’s banking transactions.

The court exhibited the records and asking the witness to submit more evidence at the next hearing, when the judge will resume his testimony in this reference.

Further proceedings were adjourned until Feb 6.

The court has also summoned another prosecution witness, Mohammad Naveed, to the next hearing.

Allowing the application of advancing further arguments, the judge asked Mr Ahmed’s counsel to argue in the acquittal plea.

Mr Ahmed was nominated as a co-accused in the aforementioned reference and charged with opening accounts allegedly used by Mr Dar for money laundering.

The accountability court has already declared Mr Dar a proclaimed offender.

According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference, the investigation revealed that “accused Saeed Ahmed was one of the directors of Hajveri Modaraba Management Company and 7,000 shares in Hajveri Holding (Pvt) Limited were transferred in his favour from the wife of the principal accused [Mohammad Ishaq Dar].”

Through his counsel, Hashmat Habib, Mr Ahmed filed an application under section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows a judge to acquit an accused at any stage of the trial.

The defence stated that even if NAB’s stance was presumed to be correct for the sake of arguments, there was no charge against his client that falls under the ambit of the National Accountability Ordinance.

The counsel said the prosecution could not produce any witnesses to corroborate the allegation pertaining to the misuse of authority by Mr Ahmed, adding: “Thus, this is a case fit to be discharged and the applicant is entitled to acquittal.”

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2019