Accountability court sends corruption reference against Ishaq Dar, others back to NAB.

An Islamabad accountability court on Tuesday sent a reference against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and others in an assets-beyond-means case back to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), saying that it did not have the jurisdiction to act under the new NAB laws.

The reference was filed by the corruption watchdog in September 2017 on the recommendations of the Supreme Court in its Panama Papers case verdict that had also seen the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif disqualified. Former NBP president Saeed Ahmed, Mansoor Raza Rizvi and Naeem Mehmood - the directors of Ishaq Dar's Hajveri ModaAraba - were the co-accused.

In the reference against Dar, the NAB alleged that 'the accused has acquired assets and pecuniary interests / resources in his own name and / or in the name of his dependants of an approximate amount of Rs831.678 million (approx).' The reference alleged that the assets were 'disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he could not reasonably account for.'

Following his indictment later that month, Dar had left the country and remained in self-exile for the next five years, during which time he was declared a proclaimed offender - a decision that was reversed in September this year soon after he returned and became the new finance minister.

Last week Dar approached the accountability court seeking his acquittal in the case, unfreezing of his assets, and a permanent exemption from personal attendance in proceedings.

The verdict, which was reserved on Monday...