Finance minister Dar indicted in graft case
islamabad — A court in a highprofile corruption case has indicted the country’s finance minister on graft charges after investigators found his assets did not match his reported income.
The corruption reference has been filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
State media reported that Ishaq Dar was present in the courtroom on Wednesday when a judge read the charges against him.
Dar pleaded not guilty to owning assets beyond his means, an official from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said, amid a corruption investigation into former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The Supreme Court in July disqualified Sharif for not declaring a small source of income and ordered an investigation into Sharif, his children and Dar, Sharif’s former accountant. Dar’s son is also married to one of Sharif’s daughters.
“Dar told the court that he was innocent and he will prove that his assets are legitimate,” Jan Achakzai, a PML-N official, said.
Dar did not speak to the media after his appearance in court in Islamabad but has dismissed all the allegations against him.
Under Pakistan’s laws, Dar can continue to work as a minister until he is found guilty. However, opposition leaders have asked him to resign on moral grounds.
Sharif has also denied any wrongdoing and has been critical of the judiciary, calling the corruption proceedings against him a conspiracy.
Several senior PML-N figures, including Sharif’s daughter Maryam, have hinted that Pakistan’s powerful military were behind Sharif’s ouster. The army denies playing any role. Meanwhile, the court rejected an application filed by Dar requesting exemption from personal attendance in court hearings and said the case would be heard on a day-to-day basis after Muharram holidays. The hearing was subsequently adjourned till October 4. Dar was credited with steering Pakistan’s economy to a sounder footing following a 2013 balance of payments crisis but over the past year those economic gains have begun to erode, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and analysts.
Growth in the $300 billion economy hit 5.3 per cent last fiscal year (July-June), the fastest pace in a decade, but foreign currency reserves have dwindled and the 2016/17 current account deficit has more than doubled to $12.1 billion. —