Wajid Zia, key prosecution witness and head of joint investigation team (JIT) that probed the Panama Papers case Wednesday told Accountability Court that former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated before the JIT that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had confiscated his tax record in 1999.
Testifying before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir, who is hearing the assets beyond means case against Dar, Zia said that he (Dar) told JIT that ISI and NAB had confiscated his tax record in 1999; however, he could not verify Dar's statement.
During the course of hearing, counsel of Mansoor Raza Rizvi and Naeem Mehmood, both directors of Dar's companies, cross-examined Zia.
Zia led the JIT in the Panama Papers case which was constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate the assets of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his children and Dar.
The JIT report submitted to the court on July 10, 2017 led to Sharif's disqualification as prime minister, and the court directed the NAB to file three references against the Sharifs and one against Dar.
The Accountability Court on December 11, 2017 declared Dar a proclaimed offender for his continued absence from the proceedings in a reference filed against him.
Defence counsel Qazi Misbah asked Zia if the JIT made any effort to confirm statement of Dar. "The JIT did not confirm statement of Dar from anywhere," Zia replied.
Misbah questioned Zia if the JIT took help from economic experts during the investigation. The prosecution witness replied that the JIT was assisted by an economic expert.
Zia told the court that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) did not provide complete record to JIT related to the case. "The FBR did not provide record dated from 1981 to 1985 to the JIT," he added.
"Do you know that in Hajveri Foundation of Dar, 90 orphan children are being looked after?" the defence counsel asked Zia.
Zia said that he does not remember how many orphan children are being looked after at Hajveri Foundation. Misbah told Zia, "If you do not remember, we will remind you. You have written in the report which you had submitted to the Supreme Court that Hajveri Trust and Foundation are welfare organisations."
"I cannot say that Hajveri Trust is providing financial assistance to patients and providing food to the poor in Ramazan," Zia said, adding that the JIT could not obtain the record related to such projects of Hajveri Trust.
While objecting to questions of defence counsel, Prosecutor NAB Afzal Qureshi said that defence counsel is asking question from the witness about a proclaimed offender (Dar). "Cross-examination cannot be conducted regarding a proclaimed offender," he further said.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case till May 29 after defence counsel completed cross-examination of Zia.
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 NBP Saeed Ahmed, Rizvi and Mehmood.
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