Ishaq Dar reaches the court, Oct 23, 2017. Photo: Geo News 

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing a corruption case against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar resumed proceedings today in the assets reference case.

This is the finance minister's seventh appearance in the court of Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir.

At the last hearing, the court had adjourned proceedings until October 23 owing to the absence of Khawaja Harris, Dar's lead counsel.

Dar's legal team pleaded the judge to adjourn the hearing until October 25 as Harris is out of the country but Judge Mohammad Bashir adjourned the proceedings until today.

The court is expected to record the statements of two more prosecution witnesses today ? Masood Ghani of Habib Bank and Abdul Rahman Gondal of Allied Bank. The two were present in court at the last hearing as well but their statements could not be recorded.

Ishaq Dar corruption hearing adjourned after lead counsel?s absence

Two prosecution witnesses had been summoned by the court today to record their statements

To-date, the court has recorded the statements of Ishtiaq Ali of Bank Alfalah, Shahid Aziz National Investment Trust and Tariq Javed of Al Baraka Bank.

The minister is accused of possessing assets beyond his declared sources of income in the reference filed against him by NAB on the directions of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case judgment.

'Appearance is must'

At an earlier hearing on October 16, the court rejected Dar's plea to be exempted from appearance, observing that the accused needs to be present when the witnesses record their statements and are cross-examined.

The NAB has submitted a list of 28 witnesses with the accountability court, which is hearing the Supreme Court-directed case against Dar and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.

Assets reference: Court rejects Dar's exemption plea, adjourns hearing till Wed

The accountability court has summoned two more witnesses, officials of two private banks, at the next hearing

Dar ? who was indicted on September 27 for owning assets beyond his known sources of income ? has denied all charges and vowed to prove his innocence in court.

The minister also challenged his indictment and trial in the Islamabad High Court but the pleas were dismissed with directions to take them to Justice Ijazul Ahsan ? the Supreme Court judge monitoring the corruption references.

The reference

The corruption reference pertaining to Dar's owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income was filed by the NAB in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 judgment in the Panama Papers case.

Ishaq Dar indicted in assets reference case; hearing adjourned until Oct 4

The finance minister denied the charges and vowed to prove his innocence in court

After skipping his first hearing ? for which a summons had been issued ?Dar appeared in court later after bailable warrants for his arrest were been issued to ensure his presence.

The judge then directed Dar to deposit a Rs5 million surety bond to ensure his appearance at the hearings.