Corruption charges: SHC extends Sharjeel Memon’s protective bail

PPP leader also ordered to furnish additional surety of Rs1m

KARACHI: While extending the protective bail granted to the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) self-exiled leader Sharjeel Inam Memon in a case relating to alleged illegal adjustment and consolidation of land, the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered him on Monday to furnish an additional surety of Rs1 million.

A division bench, headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, extended the bail till December 1, 2016, subject to furnishing the additional amount of the surety, after the petitioner's lawyer informed the court that the former provincial minister was unable to travel to Pakistan from London.

The same bench had, on November 3, granted him protective bail against a surety of Rs2 million and also directed him to deposit his passport with the court upon his return from London.

Advocate Faiz H Shah said Memon is unwell and is not able to travel in such a condition. Therefore, he pleaded to the court to extend protective pre-arrest bail earlier granted to the petitioner.

Case history

Memon had approached the court through his lawyer who informed the judges that the court had earlier granted protective bail to him in connection with an inquiry initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding alleged corruption in awarding of contracts to run advertising campaigns in the media on behalf of the provincial government.

The lawyer said recently the petitioner had come to know that NAB authorities had initiated another inquiry against him and officials of the provincial board of revenue to investigate allegations of illegal adjustments and consolidation of hundreds of acres of state land in favour of a private housing project.

In this connection, the bureau has also issued a call-up notice to the former minister, directing him to join the investigation. According to the bureau, the illegal activities committed by the revenue officials in connivance with the petitioner caused huge losses to the national coffers.

The judges were informed that Memon is presently in London and wants to return to the country but fears arrest by NAB in connection with inquiries into the alleged offence, which he has denied.

Therefore, the court was pleaded to grant anticipative protective bail to enable the petitioner to return to the country and join the investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2016.