After Nawaz Sharif ouster, Pakistan finance minister indicted in corruption case

After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was dismissed by a court probing corruption charges, Pakistan’s finance minister now seems to be in the dock, for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income.

An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday indicted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in a corruption reference filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), a Dawn news report revealed.

The court also rejected an application filed by Dar requesting exemption from personal attendance in court hearings.

Also read: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif resigns after Supreme Court order to disqualify him

The report said that the minister pleaded not guilty to all charges read out by Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir, terming them baseless. Following the indictment, NAB presented before the court a list of witnesses against the accused.

According to the report, Dar’s counsel pleaded that his client did not receive the notice the court usually issues seven days prior to the indictment.

However, the judge told him that since his client had not appeared in the first hearing on September 19, this could be taken to mean that he was allowed the seven-day notice period.