An accountability court on Thursday extended Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif’s judicial remand until March 2 in the assets beyond means case.
The Accountability Court Judge Jawadul Hassan heard the case against the PML-N senior leader. The accused was not produced before the court due to his medical condition.
The jail authorities submitted the medical report of Khawaja Asif, stating that the PML-N leader is currently hospitalised due to the operation of his eyes. Therefore he could not be produced before the court. The court later extended his judicial remand until March 2. According to the latest progress made in the assets beyond means case against Asif, four witnesses have recorded their statements to the anti-corruption watchdog. According to NAB, a bank peon in Lahore had submitted over Rs28 million to the bank account of Khawaja Asif following the orders of senior officers.
It stated that the nephew of Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Sultan, had submitted Rs20 million to his bank account after being told by his paternal uncle. A senior political worker Rana Abdul Waheed had submitted Rs30 million to Asif’s account and told the NAB that the money was given to him by Asif.
Another political activist Sarmad Ijaz had withdrawn Rs5 million from Asif’s bank account and handed him over the money. Earlier in January last, the accountability court directed the jail authorities to provide B-class facilities to Khawaja Asif as per the law. Judge Jawadul Hassan allowed the former foreign minister to have home-cooked food and get himself checked by his personal physician inside jail. The court further called for a heater to be provided to him in his prison cell. Khawaja’s lawyer contended before the court that his client, being an elderly parliamentarian, deserves B-class facilities apart from having access to his personal physician and home-cooked food. Granting his plea, the court ruled that the accused be provided facilities as per the law.
