SHC to send corruption reference against Dr Asim, others back to NAB chairman

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday accepted the application filed by Dr Asim Hussain and others to send the Rs17 billion corruption reference back to the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

In a significant development at the Sindh High Court, the application filed by Dr. Asim Hussain and his co-accused were accepted.

This decision resulted in the court sending the corruption reference back to the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The bench, led by Justice KK Agha, delivered this verdict.

The case revolved around allegations that Dr. Asim and his associates had provided gas to companies of their choice during their tenure.

However, after new legislation was enacted, it was argued that this reference no longer fell under the jurisdiction of the accountability court, as explained by Farooq Naik, Advocate.

The crux of the matter was the alleged misuse of powers, as pointed out by Farooq H. Naik, Advocate.

According to the law, it was necessary to prove that those in power had gained financial benefits from their actions.

The lawyers for the accused emphasized that Sui DC and Sui Southern Gas Company were government entities, and they argued that none of the accused, including Dr. Asim, had engaged in any illegal activities by providing gas to these agencies.

Justice KK Agha acknowledged that new amendments had been made through legislation by Parliament but expressed concerns about the acquittal of the accused, which was opposed by the NAB Prosecutor.

The corruption case amounted to a staggering 17 billion rupees and was related to the JJVL reference. It was claimed that several crucial pieces of evidence and important documents had been suppressed in the reference, as stated in a petition.

It’s worth noting that the accountability court had previously rejected an application by Dr. Asim Hussain and others in this matter, setting the stage for this recent legal development at the Sindh High Court.