Pak finance minister Ishaq Dar indicted

An anti-corruption court  has indicted Pakistan’s finance minister Ishaq Dar in a case filed against him by the country’s anti-graft watchdog for allegedly possessing “assets beyond known sources of income”.

Dar, a close relative of former premier Nawaz Sharif, appeared in the accountability court but no media representatives were allowed into the courtroom. According to reports, Dar denied all the charges and refused to accept the indictment.

“The court illegally indicted Dar, which is why no lawyers or media persons were allowed to enter,” Supreme Court Bar Association secretary Aftab Bajwa was quoted as saying by the media. The court, while indicting Dar, directed the prosecution to begin producing witnesses on October 4, which was set as the next date of hearing. Two witnesses have been summoned for the next hearing. In its July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case that disqualified Sharif, the Supreme Court also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the country’s anti-corruption watchdog, to file a case against Dar for allegedly living beyond his means.