KARACHI: An accountability court allowed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday to keep the custody of former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain by extending his physical remand for another week in a corruption inquiry.

After the end of his seven-day remand, NAB produced Dr Asim, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, before the court and sought extension in his custody for 15 days for further investigation.

The former minister had been picked up from his office in Clifton on Aug 26. Rangers placed him under three-month preventive detention for inquiry upon receiving “credible information” about his involvement in using embezzled funds to finance terrorism. A case was later registered against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of PPP and MQM leaders.

The paramilitary force handed him over to police after 90 days. Police informed the administrative judge of the ATCs that Dr Asim was released due to ‘lack of sufficient evidence’ about the charges against him. On Dec 11, NAB formally arrested Dr Asim, who is Sindh Higher Education Commission Chairman with a status of provincial minister, from the Sindh High Court premises.

NAB deputy prosecutor general Amjad Ali Shah informed the court that some important documents were seized on information provided by the suspect during interrogation during the one-week remand. He said investigation was still under way into the alleged misuse of authority in allotment of plots and land for Dr Ziauddin Hospital/Trust, encroachment of government land, kickbacks, land-grabbing and money-laundering. He said the money-laundering charge required extensive investigation for which further remand of the suspect was necessary.

Investigating officer Zameer Abbasi submitted the memos of seizure and investigation dairies to the court.

Opposing further extension in remand, defence lawyer Amir Raza Naqvi argued that the suspect had been thoroughly investigated since Aug 26 and NAB also claimed to have got the documents.

He said NAB had arrested and obtained the previous remand of Dr Asim without a proper authorisation letter despite the fact that the anti-corruption body was legally bound to produce it before a court within 24 hours.

He informed the court that there were torture marks visible on the body of Dr Asim. He quoted NAB officials as claiming that the marks were there before they took over his custody. The defence lawyer requested the court to release his client.

He said Dr Asim was not “mentally alert” due to prolonged detention, maintaining that his health also deteriorated because of change in medication as he repeated fell while trying to walk. He requested the court to allow the suspect to consult psychiatrists at the Aga Khan University Hospital and to get treatment at his own expenses.

The NAB DPG claimed that a psychiatrist had examined the suspect in custody and that all medical facilities were being provided to him. But the bureau would have no objection if the court allowed his treatment at a private hospital or constitute a medical board to examine him, he added.

The prosecutor claimed that they had arrested Dr Asim after obtaining proper authorisation letter and other relevant documents from the competent authority and his physical custody was essential for further investigation.

After hearing both sides, the administrative judge of accountability courts, Saad Qureshi, extended the physical remand of Dr Asim till Dec 23 and directed NAB to produce him along with a progress report at the next hearing.

However, a court ruling regarding Dr Asim’s treatment at the hospital is likely to be issued on Friday.

SSGC OFFICIALS: The same court on Thursday further extended physical remand of two former senior officials of the Sui Southern Gas Company for two weeks on charges of corruption.

Following the expiry of their second remand, NAB produced former deputy managing director of the gas utility Shoaib Warsi and former managing director Zuhair Siddiqui before the court and sought another extension in the custody for further investigation.

The NAB investigating officer claimed that the suspects disclosed during interrogation that they had made illegal appointments and approved gas connections allegedly on the directives of Dr Asim Hussain.

NAB arrested the two officials on Nov 26 for allegedly misappropriating SSGC funds, making illegal appointments during their tenure, misusing their authority in favour of LPG projects, illegally approving industrial, commercial and power generation gas connections and illegal consultancy to a private hospital from 2009 to 2013.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2015