Rs500m recovered from Dar's bank accounts

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday claimed that it has recovered Rs500 million from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

According to a NAB press statement, Rs500m have been recovered from Dar's accounts and transferred to the Punjab government. In Gulberg, Dar's four-kanal house, worth millions of rupees, has been handed over to the Punjab government. The NAB chairman has stated that the house will be sold and the money transferred to the national exchequer, the press release added.

Last week, it was reported that the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has rejected a request by the Pakistan government to issue a red arrest warrant notice against Ishaq Dar, who is currently in London.

The Pakistan government through the Interior Ministry had requested the Interpol to issue red arrest warrant for the former finance minister, but Interpol decided to reject the request after evaluating the evidence submitted by Mr Dar.

The former finance minister is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

A reference against the former finance minister was filed by the NAB in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case. Dar had earlier been declared an absconder by the accountability court due to his continuous absence from the proceedings. In 2017, Dar went to London to receive medical treatment for his heart condition, he has remained in the UK ever since.