PHOTO: NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU
During the hearing of Memon's bail at the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday, the lawyer said that NAB authorities were harassing his client while an inquiry has yet to be initiated against those who were actually responsible for land allotment and regularisation.
He contended the ongoing inquiry against the former top provincial bureaucrat was initiated in an unauthorised manner, requesting that NAB authorities be therefore ordered to stop such inquiry. Rebutting the allegations, NAB's investigation officer said that all those involved in the scam were being investigated. The officer maintained that the summary for allotment of the land in question was initiated in the fake name of an officer. He added that even the name of the allottee was fake to hush up the facts.
The investigation officer maintained that the petitioner was involved in the alleged offence, requesting that his bail plea be therefore dismissed. A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Farooq Shah, directed the petitioner's lawyer to file his reply to the statement made by the NAB IO by January 26. Till then, Memon's pre-arrest bail was also extended. Memon had obtained a pre-arrest bail from the high court in August last year, apprehending his arrest at the hands of the bureau, which had summoned him in connection with alleged illegal allotment and regularisation of five acres of land in Karachi's Scheme 33. Ever since, he has obtained extensions in the bail.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2017.
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