Pakistan Finance Minister indicted by Islamabad Accountability Court News
Pakistan Finance Minister indicted by Islamabad Accountability Court

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was indicted on Wednesday on graft charges after investigators found his assets did not match his reported income.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) [official website], Pakistan’s highest anti-corruption organization, filed the case against Dar for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income in light of the July 28 verdict [order, PDF] of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers [JURIST report] case [BBC backgrounder]. The case resulted in the Supreme Court disqualifying Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif [BBC profile] from office and the Prime minister subsequently resigning [LA Times report]. Dar’s indictment comes a day after Sharif made his first appearance before a judge to face corruption cases.

Dar has a long history with the Sharif family. He was imprisoned in 1999 when the Sharif government toppled. He is also married to Sharif’s daughter.

After the charges against the Dar were read out by Judge Mohammad Bashir, Dar refused to accept the charges. The minister has repeatedly denied his charges, stating that his assets were in accordance with income. Despite the indictment, Dar can continue to work as a minister until he is found guilty.

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