Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court on Wednesday adjourned until October 23 the hearing of a graft reference against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar due to unavailability of his lead counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmad.

When judge Muhammad Bashir resumed the hearing at the scheduled time, Ishaq Dar along with his legal team was present in the court.

However, a junior member of Dar’s legal team apprised the court that senior counsel Khawaja Haris had left abroad and will be available on October 25, thus the proceedings may be adjourned till the date of his availability.

The court then called Dar to the rostrum and asked why his counsel did not turn up. Dar stated that his counsel had no intention to go abroad until Tuesday night and that he had to leave on Wednesday morning on emergency basis.

The judge suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes and left for his chamber, directing Dar’s legal team to get information when Haris will return.

When the judge returned, he was informed that Khawaja Haris will come back on Sunday (Oct 22), however he would be engaged on October 23 and 24 in the Lahore High Court in pursuance of his cases, thus hearing may be adjourned till October 25.

The court also directed the two prosecution witnesses Masood ul Ghani of the Habib Bank Limited and Abdul Rahman Gondal of the Allied Bank Limited, who had to record their statements on Wednesday, to appear again on Monday.

Meanwhile, NAB prosecutor criticized the absence of Dar’s lead counsel, contending that he was not committed to the case and using delaying tactics to prolong it.

Dar’s legal team, however, rejected the contentions of NAB’s prosecutor and pleaded the court to record the statements of prosecution witnesses. The judge then noted that as per law the statement of a witness and his cross-examination should be conducted on the same day.

When the judge asked the associate lawyer of Khawaja Haris to cross examine the witnesses, he said he had no permission of the lead counsel in this regard.

Published in Daily Times, October 18^th 2017.