Court rejects NAB plea seeking closure of Durrani's illegal assets case

Rules proceedings against other accused to continue despite ex-SA speaker's death

KARACHI:

An accountability court on Thursday rejected a request by the national graft-buster to close a reference against former Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani (late) and others in a high-profile illegal assets case.

The hearing focused on the NAB chairman's application seeking termination of the reference against Durrani and 19 other accused. The court dismissed the request, observing that the chairman's signature on the application was not properly attested and that there is no legal provision to halt proceedings against other accused merely because a main accused has passed away.

The court also observed that only the NAB Executive Board has the authority to decide on closing a case, not the chairman alone. It further stated that the case could continue against other defendants, as witnesses had already been presented against them.

During the proceedings, NAB lawyers argued that no evidence had been found against some of the remaining accused and that two public office holders among them had passed away. They suggested that if no further evidence emerges, the case could eventually be closed, but the court insisted that the proceedings must continue for now.

The case, originally filed by NAB in 2019, had accused Durrani, his family members, employees, and front-men of amassing assets worth over Rs1.61 billion illegally. Charges were framed against the accused in 2020. The accused included Agha Siraj Durrani, Shahbaz Durrani, Sanam Durrani, Shamshed Khatoon, Salmi Irshad, and Syed Muhammad Shah, among others.

Agha Siraj Durrani, who held office as minister for local government and later as speaker of the Sindh Assembly, passed away on October 15, 2025. Following his death, proceedings against him were halted in accordance with the law. The NAB chairman had filed the withdrawal request through Special Public Prosecutors Manzoor Shah and Irshad Rajper.

The court's remarks clarified that the case against other accused could not be terminated and must proceed under the law, ensuring accountability for all involved.