Reference prepared against Sharjeel Memon, SHC told

Court extends former provincial minister's bail

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has prepared and will soon file a reference against Pakistan Peoples Party leader and former provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon for his alleged involvement in illegal allotment, adjustment and consolidation of 11,000 acres of government land.

A prosecutor for the national anti-graft watchdog provided this information to a two-judge bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC), which was hearing Memon's bail petition against alleged harassment by NAB.

The prosecutor told the court that the investigation into the scam had been completed and the reference was prepared. However, the reference will be filed with the accountability court concerned after the same is signed by the NAB chairperson, the court was informed.



Headed by SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, the bench directed the prosecutor to submit a report on progress in the matter by September 29. In the meantime, the bench also extended protective bail granted to Memon in the case.

Memon, a former provincial information minister who had recently returned from self-imposed exile obtained protective bail in connection with an inquiry initiated by NAB.

Earlier, the prosecutor had informed the court that Memon and the Malir Development Authority's managing director had played key roles in the illegal allotment of thousands of acres of the state land in Malir to a land developer. Such illegal land allotments caused loss worth billions of rupees to the exchequer, he added. The prosecutor further claimed that the bureau had gathered undeniable evidence against the former minister and other accused.



Other references

Meanwhile, the same bench was also informed that NAB had finalised separate references against the former secretary of the land utilisation department and former Karachi commissioner, Hashim Raza Zaidi, in cases related to alleged illegal land allotments.

In September last year, Zaidi had approached the SHC pleading that NAB issued him a call-up notice about inquiry over the allotment of 16 acres of land to Ahsan Dreamland Housing Project on fake documents.

The petitioner said he was working as an executive district officer on October 12, 2005, and had nothing to do with the allotment. The petitioner had passed on the case of Allah Bux, who was then in occupation and ownership of 16 acres adjacent to the land belonging to the Ahsan Dreamland Housing Project.



Zaidi stated that NAB is harassing him in the alleged inquiry. Maintaining that he is willing to cooperate in the investigations, Zaidi told the court that he apprehends his arrest by the NAB authorities. He pleaded to the court to grant him pre-arrest bail.