Sharjeel Memon's bail extended till May 2

SHC directs separation of petitioner's bail and removal of name from ECL pleas

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) extended on Monday protective pre-arrest bail granted to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Inam Memon in an around Rs5.75 billion corruption reference till May 2.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, also separated the former provincial information minister's plea seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Memon had filed two separate petitions seeking protective bail to enable him to surrender before the accountability court concerned where he was facing two corruption references regarding advertisement campaigns in the media and another regarding alleged illegal adjustment of state lands in favour of a private real estate firm.



Memon recently returned from self-imposed exile in London and Dubai where he had gone following a crackdown by law enforcement agencies against corrupt politicians and officers in June last year. In the plea, Memon said the court had recalled his protective bail in December last year as he could not return to the country to surrender before the trial court due to his 'ailment'.

In the second plea, the PPP leader said the interior ministry had placed his name on the ECL despite the fact that he had gone abroad for medical treatment. He had pleaded to order the interior ministry to remove his name from the ECL since he needed to travel abroad for further medical treatment. The lawyer argued that placing restrictions on Memon's movement was a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

During Monday's proceedings, the National Accountability Bureau's special prosecutor informed the court that the petitioner was nominated in a Rs5.75-billion corruption reference. Opposing the plea against the travel ban, the prosecutor argued that the trial will suffer due to the petitioner's absence, if he was allowed to leave the country.



The bench extended Memon's protective bail till May 2. Meanwhile, it also directed the office to fix the plea against the ECL separately from the bail plea.