Plea for acquittal of Dr Asim dismissed.

KARACHI -- An accountability court dismissed on Monday an application of former petroleum minister and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Dr Asim Hussain seeking acquittal in a seven-year-old Rs460 billion graft reference.

Dr Asim - a close aide to former president Asif Ali Zardari - along with others, has been facing trial in a case pertaining to misusing his authority as the federal petroleum minister to get plots allotted fraudulently and also encroaching upon state land for expansion of his Dr Ziauddin Hospital/Trust, money laundering, illegal gains, kickbacks, commission through fertiliser cartel for illegal curtailment of gas for exploitative price hike, etc.

On Monday, AccountaAbility Court-IV Judge Suresh Kumar pronounced his order reserved after hearing arguments from both sides.

The judge observed that the applicant failed to make out a case for his acquittal in the present reference under Section 265-K (power of Court to acquit accused at any stage) of the Criminal Procedure Code since the trial was at an...