Court reserves judgment over NBP president's plea seeking acquittal from assets case     

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court of Islamabad Wednesday reserved its judgment on a petition filed by President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Saeed Ahmed seeking his acquittal in a reference related to the assets of former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir resumed hearing over the application of NBP president.

During the course of proceeding, the counsel for the petitioner Hashmat Habib contended before the court that his client should not be charged even if the statement of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was considered correct.

He argued that NAB law did not apply to the charges leveled against Saeed Ahmed, saying that the prosecution had failed to prove case against his client through the evidence so far submitted to the court.

On the other side, NAB's special prosecutor Imran Shafiq argued that the prosecution still had to present 55 to 56 witnesses in this case.

He requested the court to give time to the prosecution to present evidence.

He argued that the accused had done fraud with such expertise.

Shafiq said it was not possible for such a huge amount to be transferred into the account of a public office holder.

The accused required a qualified person to shift the money to Pakistan and needed someone whose account the money could be transferred to without raising suspicion, he said.

He contended that Ahmed advised the accused to open accounts to shift money, saying that NBP president could not expressed that he had no knowledge regarding the accounts.

NAB prosecutor claimed that Ahmed was the deputy governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) when transactions worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were made from Dar's account.

The former finance minister had given high post to Saeed Ahmed, he added.

Meanwhile, the court also recorded the statements of prosecution witness and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) General Manager Ghazali Zahid.

Later, the court adjourned hearing of the case till June 20.