Country’s system facilitates influential, regrets CJ

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, while hearing Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani’s bail plea on Thursday, “lamented” that influential people in the country were “facilitated”, and noted that declaring PPP leader’s residence a jail meant that he was a “powerful person”.

Durrani is being probed in a case related to assets beyond means and embezzlement.

A three-member bench of the apex court led by chief justice heard Durrani’s bail application.

During the hearing, PPP leader’s counsel Salman Akram Raja argued that Durrani hailed from a rich family. He said building up assets for him was not an issue.

Raja contended that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had calculated Durrani’s assets from 2007, adding that he had started filing tax returns from the same year.

Read: NAB should not harass businessmen: CJ Bandial

The lawyer maintained that non-filing of tax returns did not mean that the income was zero. Durrani and his family members own 900 acres of agricultural land since 1985, he said.

Justice Ayesha Malik asked how much money the PPP leader earned from 1985 till 2008. She said it was surprising that Durrani was earning money till 2008 and then started spending it all of a sudden.

On being asked, Raja adopted the stance that his client had sold two houses of four kanals in 1998.

Responding to Justice Ayesha’s query on the value of houses, the lawyer noted that Durrani had hundreds of tolas of gold.

The chief justice remarked that buying gold was not considered an investment, adding that wealthy people bought gold to secure their money.

He said apparently the NAB’s case against Durrani was “very strong” and that the assets of the PPP leader had grown rapidly after becoming a member of the assembly.

The chief justice said that declaring Durrani’s residence a jail meant that he was “very influential” person. The system of the country is such that it fully facilitates the influential, he said.

The top judge inquired how the NAB would benefit from Durrani going to jail. Even if he is not granted bail, he is still at home, he said.

The chief justice observed that the anti-graft watchdog could freeze the PPP leader’s assets until the completion of the trial and that his name could also be included in the exit control list.

The apex court asked NAB to respond on the matter and adjourned the hearing of the case till Friday (today).