ISLAMABAD: The acco­untability court of Isla­mabad on Monday decided to indict National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) president Saeed Ahmed on March 12 in the reference related to the assets of defunct finance minister Ishaq Dar.

Accountability judge Mohammad Bashir handed over a copy of supplementary reference to Saeed Ahmed and Naeem Mah­mood and Syed Mansoor Raza Rizvi, directors of Ishaq Dar’s Hajveri Moda­raba, and asked them to appear before the court next week when they would be indicted.

Mr Dar has already been declared a proclaimed offen­der in the case by the same court.

In the supplementary reference, the National Accou­ntability Bureau (NAB) has alleged that “accused Saeed Ahmed was one of the directors of Hajveri Modaraba Management Company and 7,000 shares in Hajveri Holding (Pvt) Limited were also transferred in his favour from the wife of principal accused (Mohammad Ishaq Dar)”.

The reference alleged that seven bank accounts were opened in the name of accused Saeed Ahmed which, as per the investigation conducted so far, were prima facie used for the benefit of accused (Ishaq Dar) and his companies. He had intentionally allowed the accused to open/operate/use bank accounts in his name to protect his ill-gotten money.

Regarding Naeem Mahmood, the reference stated that he “was one of the directors of Hajveri Modaraba…[and he] aided, abetted, assisted the main accused in commission of offence by facilitating him in the opening of bank accounts being an introducer”.

Third accused Syed Mansoor Raza Rizvi was shareholder in First Hajveri Modaraba. As per the NAB investigation, he helped Ishaq Dar as he collected the cheque-book pertaining to bank accounts of Saeed Ahmed.

The supplementary reference alleged that Ishaq Dar in connivance with others obtained illegal pecuniary advantages of Rs482.8 million and $4m.

NAB claimed that the said amount was disproportionate to his [Ishaq Dar’s] known sources of income for which he could not reasonably account for, and the accused has refused to answer questions or to provide information, thus the accused persons have been found involved in the commission of offences of corruption and corrupt practices as defined under Section 9(a)(iv)(v)&(xii), punishable under Section 10 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018