Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing an assets reference case against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar resumed proceedings on Monday and two witnesses recorded their statements during the court proceedings and got cross examined by Khawaja Harris.

Dar’s counsel Khawaja Harris who returned to Pakistan after missing the last hearing, had a verbal joust with National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecuter.

The two witnesses namely Abdul Rahman Gondal of Allied Bank and Habib Bank’s Masood Ghani, recorded their statements and were cross examined by Dar’s senior counsel.

The Accountability Court has requested Dar’s reply upon NAB’s request for the seizure of Dar’s assets complying with NAB chairman’s direction.

The court hearing was adjourned till October 31, this was Dar’s seventh appearance at the Accountability Court.

Allied Bank’s Abdul Rahman Gondal recorded his statements as the hearing resumed and was cross examined by Khawaja Harris later on, meanwhile  Gondal also submitted details of an account owner by the finance minister.

He said that he made his first appearance before the Accountability Court on August 17,2017.

Khawaja Harris had a verbal joust with National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecuter after Gondal’s cross examination and he accused the NAB prosecutor Imran Shafiq of reportedly ‘influencing’ the witness.

After the first witnesses had his statement recorded and his cross examination completed, the second witness,  Masood Ghani affiliated with Habib Bank had his statements recorded and was cross examined by Dar’s counsel.

Later on, NAB sumitted a request pleading the judge Mohammad Bashir to endorse NAB chairman’s decision to seize Dar’s assets, the court has asked Dar to submit a reply to to NAB request on the next hearing.

The cross examination is expected to continue as the hearing resumes on October 31.