Jakhrani gets interim bail in assets case

Court issues notices to NAB director general and prosecutor, restricting them from arresting Jakhrani till July 19

KARACHI:

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) accepted on Wednesday the interim bail plea of Sindh Prisons Advisor Aijaz Jakhrani in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference pertaining to assets beyond means.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Munib Akhtar, was hearing the bail plea at the SC's Karachi registry.

At the outset of the hearing, the petitioner's counsel moved the court to grant interim bail to Jakhrani, claiming that he was willing to cooperate in NAB investigations.

At the presence of several supporters of Jalhrani in the courtroom, Justice Akhtar was irked over the extraordinary number of people present.

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To this, Jakhrani claimed he did not know who the people were. The court warned against bringing supporters on the next hearing and directed Jakhrani to submit Rs1m as the surety against his bail.

It also issued notices to NAB director general and prosecutor, restricting them from arresting Jakhrani till July 19.

Earlier, Jakhrani had reached out to the Sindh High Court to seek bail, where his plea was rejected.

According to NAB, three separate inquiries against Jakhrani were underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2021.