Agha Siraj Durrani arrested from outside Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Friday arrested Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani from outside the Supreme Court after the court ordered him to surrender himself before the anti-graft body.

The apex court's orders came in response to a petition filed by the PPP leader against bail cancellation in a corruption reference. 

Durrani had approached the Supreme Court for pre-arrest bail in assets beyond known source of income case.

After failing to get bail from the Sindh High Court (SHC), Durrani had filed a petition in the SC for pre-arrest bail in the NAB reference filed against him.

In the assets case, Durrani has been accused of assigning properties worth millions of rupees under the names of his servants, besides possessing expensive vehicles.

During today’s hearing, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said the SHC rejected the bail plea on merit and the SC will not hear the case before the SHC order is implemented.

“You should have been in jail when the high court cancelled the bail. Why didn't you surrender yourself? Why do we give you special concession?”

The court then ordered the PPP leader to first comply with the order of the SHC and surrender before NAB, after which his case would be heard next week.

The court also rejected Durrani’s plea asking that he not be arrested from the court premises.

His lawyer, Amir Naqvi, told the bench that his client has surrendered before the court, on which Justice Umar Ata Bandial said, “you should surrender before NAB, we had given you concession before, there’s a high court order against you.”

“The court will not interfere in NAB’s matter,” the judge said.

The court later adjourned the case till next week.