KARACHI, February 25: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday filed a corruption references against the former petroleum minister and leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Dr. Asim Hussain in an accountability court of Karachi.
The corruption reference has been filed against former Minister along eight other accused. According to details, filed reference consists of 40 pages and as many as three thousand and seventy-four evidence are included in the reference against Dr. Asim.
In the references submitted to court, there are 3,074 pieces of evidence against Hussain, alleging corruption amounting of billions of rupees against the former petroleum minister. It alleged in the filed corruption reference that minister had deliberately reduced the supply of sui-gas to fertilizer companies on the name of sui-gas load-shedding. Owing to this action the fertilizer production had badly affected and government had to pay Rs. 4.50 trillion for fulfilling the damage through fertilize import and provision. The other allegations leveled against former Federal Minister in the filed corruption reference including illegal took commission, money laundering, illegal use of Dr. Zia-ul-Din Trust and illegally grabbing the government land. Dr. Asim Hussain, a close aide of Former President Asif Zardari, is facing allegations of alleged misuse of authority in fraudulent allotment of plots and encroachment of state land for Dr Ziauddin Hospital, illegal gains and kickbacks. He is also accused of receiving commission through the fertilizer cartel for illegal curtailment of gas for exploitive price hike and black marketing between 2010 and 2012, in addition to fraud with the general public and money laundering. The accountability court has accepted the references. It is worth to mention here that earlier in February, after spending around five and a half months in the custody of different law enforcement agencies, an accountability court sent Hussain to prison on judicial remand in a corruption inquiry being conducted by NAB.-Online