ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Malik Riaz and his son should “face the courts and present their defence,” a day after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said the government was reaching out to the United Arab Emirates to seek the business tycoon’s extradition in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Meanwhile, Riaz termed the NAB’s action against him a “new demand for blackmail” and asserted that he would not testify, without specifying in what case.
The development comes on the heels of ex-premier Imran Khan and his spouse’s conviction last week in the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which Riaz and his son are also co-accused and proclaimed offenders. As PTI and legal experts pointed to the need for accountability for all those involved, Tarar had said that consultation was ongoing on how to bring the other absconders back.
A day ago, the NAB, saying it was to seek Riaz’s extradition, stated it was conducting inquiries and investigations against him and his associates for “fraud, deceptive practices and cheating the public at large.”
In a televised address today, Tarar recalled the NAB’s press release, quoting the accountability watchdog as saying it had concrete evidence in those inquiries.
Noting that Riaz and his son had been declared absconders, Tarar stressed that if they both could have defended themselves before the courts, they would have done so in the Al-Qadir Trust case and other inquiries.
“They (Riaz and his son) should face the courts, and present their defence, which they have failed to do so far.”
He said: “NAB’s press release and it saying that more cases are underway on this … One of these is Takht-Pari, a locality in Rawalpindi, in which there is a case of illegal takeover and illegal housing society and accumulating billions from the public.”
The minister added, “Not standing before the court, escaping its proceedings, and not presenting any proof or evidence in your defence there […]. Property has been seized previously as well and more will be done, according to the NAB’s press release.”
The minister said further legal action should be completed in cases against the property tycoon.
“It should not be considered who has what position or how much power, or who has how much money.”
