SHC grants bail to ad agency director,three others in graft case

Reps of Hindu, Christian NGOs request court to make them intervenors in liquor shop closure case

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday granted interim protective bail to the director of an advertising company and three others in a Rs5billion corruption case, also nominating former information minister Sharjeel Memon.

Inam Akbar, Riaz Munir, Mohammad Hanif and Asim Amir Khan were named as co-accused in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) corruption reference against Memon, officials of the information department and advertising companies’ representatives for wrongfully awarding the provincial government’s awareness campaign advertisement contracts worth Rs5 billion.

The petitioners counsel submitted that they were not beneficiaries of the scam and were falsely implicated by the NAB.

He submitted that other co-accused were also granted protective bail in the case, hence, they should also be given interim protective bail so that they could surrender before the trial court.

The court granted interim protective bail to the director and other petitioners with the direction to surrender their passports before the trial court within seven days. 

Wine shops closure plea

Representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) being run by Hindu and Christian community members also filed applications in the Sindh High Court (SHC) to become intevenors in the petition seeking closure of wine shops.

The applicants submitted that SHC had ordered the excise and taxation department to initiate the process of revoking licences of all wine shops since they were selling the product throughout the year in violation of the law.

They submitted that likewise retailer shops, wine manufacturing factories/unit should also be banned in the country.

The applicants further requested the court to ask the concerned authorities to submit a report on manufacturing of alcohol and other intoxicants, as well as on the import of liquor done under the garb of foreign mission and embassies.

They maintained that consumption of alcohol was also prohibited in Christian, Hindu and other religions, and requested the court to allow them to become intervenors in the case.