In a significant turn of events, the accountability court has acquitted former finance minister Ishaq Dar. This decision comes as a result of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) admitting that it “lacked evidence to substantiate the allegations” of corruption against him.
The accountability court’s ruling underscores the absence of incriminating evidence against Dar, with NAB acknowledging the inability to find proof of alleged corruption during its probe.
The prosecution had contended that the former finance minister’s assets had remarkably grown from Rs9.1 million in 1982-83 to Rs831.6 million in 2008.
The final verdict followed a period of deliberation by accountability judge Mohammad Bashir, who had initially reserved the decision on the assets reference against Ishaq Dar.
During the hearing, NAB’s special prosecutor Afzal Qureshi informed the judge that tangible evidence to support the allegations against the senator could not be obtained. He asserted that the case could not be further pursued due to a lack of evidence. The judge subsequently requested NAB’s response in writing, which was duly submitted to the court.
Ishaq Dar’s counsel, Qazi Misbah, contended that the joint investigation team responsible for probing the Panama Papers case failed to produce any evidence against his client, highlighting fundamental flaws in the investigation process.
Consequently, the court not only cleared Ishaq Dar but also absolved the co-accused, including the former president of the National Bank of Pakistan, Saeed Ahmed.
It is noteworthy that on November 22, 2022, the same court dismissed the proceedings against Ishaq Dar, returning the case file to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). This development comes after the court had previously declared Ishaq Dar a proclaimed offender on December 11, 2017, attaching his movable and immovable properties and cancelling his perpetual arrest warrant, which was reinstated upon his surrender on October 10.
