ATC issues release order for Dr Asim in militants’ treatment case

An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday issued a release order for former federal minister and PPP leader Dr Asim Hussain and ordered him to submit his Canadian passport before the court.

A bail request filed by the PPP leader was approved in November in a case relating to the alleged treatment of terrorists at his hospital.

Earlier today, the Sindh High Court granted bail to Dr Asim in two corruption references filed against him by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after submitting surety bonds worth Rs5 million.

Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar, the referee judge, approved the bail of Dr Hussain in two corruption cases on medical grounds.

The NAB had filed a reference against Dr Hussain, alleging that the former petroleum minister had deprived the state of Rs462.5bn between 2010 and 2013 — Rs450bn through the fertiliser scam, Rs9.5bn through land fraud and Rs3bn through money laundering.

Sindh High Court Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah had appointed Justice Aftab as the referee judge after the divisional bench of the Sindh High Court was unable to reach a census regarding the bail application of Dr Asim Hussain.

Dr Hussain, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, was arrested in August 2015 by Rangers and after three-month preventive detention the paramilitary force handed him over to police in a case pertaining to sheltering and treating alleged terrorists at his hospitals.

Later, NAB got his custody in December 2015 for a graft investigation.

NAB initiated an inquiry involving an amount of Rs13bn against the former petroleum minister into his alleged misuse of authority in fraudulent allotment of plots and encroachment of state land for Dr Ziauddin Hospital/Trust, illegal gains, kickbacks and commission through a fertiliser cartel for illegal curtailment of gas for exploitative price hike and black marketing in 2010 to 2012, fraud with the public in the name of charity hospital and money laundering.

Dr Hussain faces charges of misusing his authority for getting plots allotted fraudulently and encroaching upon state land for expansion of Dr Ziauddin Hospital.

He has also been accused of money laundering, illegal gains, kickbacks, commission through fertiliser cartel for illegal curtailment of gas for exploitative price hike and defrauding people in the name of the charity hospital.

Source: Dawn