AC rejects plea of Dar’s wife
ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing a corruption case against former finance minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday rejected Tabassum Ishaq Dar’s plea and allowed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to auction Dar’s movable and immovable properties.
The Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashire earlier reserved judgment on the plea of Dar’s wife, Tabassum Ishaq Dar, urging the court to withhold auction of her husband’s properties. The court while announcing its reserved verdict permitted the NAB to auction Dar’s movable and immovable properties.
Tabassum had challenged the court order with regard to sale of her husband’s properties on October 24, 2018 after he was declared an absconder in a reference filed by the NAB for having assets beyond means.
In her petition, she stated that her husband purchased house # 7-H, Gulberg-III, Lahore, on May 21, 1988, and since then the family has been residing in it. The house had been orally gifted by Dar in her favour on February 14, 1989 in lieu of her dower (Haq Mehr) which was accepted by her. The actual possession of the house is with her as she is true and lawful owner because it was gifted to her, she stated in her application.
It further said that the house is not a property owned by Dar and the report filed by the NAB is incorrect and contrary to facts. Thus, any property attached on the basis of incorrect report is liable to be corrected under the Section 88 (6A), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), said the petition.
The properties of Dar include a house in Gulberg-III, Lahore; three plots in Al-Falah Housing Society, Lahore; six acres of land in Islamabad; a two-kanal plot in the Parliamentarians Enclave, Islamabad; a plot in Senate Cooperative Housing Society, Islamabad; a plot measuring two kanals and nine marlas of land in Islamabad; and six vehicles including three Land Cruisers, two Mercedes and one Toyota Corolla in Pakistan.
The NAB had filed a supplementary reference against Dar on February 26 last year. The reference comprises seven volumes and includes 24 witnesses and three co-accused namely former president of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Raza Rizvi and Naeem Mehmood, both directors of Dar’s companies.—FAZAL SHER
