NAB put on notice as Sharjeel Memon approaches SHC for bail

The Sindh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other respondents on a petition filed by former provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon seeking post-arrest bail in a 5.78 billion-rupee corruption reference.

Apart from Memon, information department officials Zulfiqar Ali Shalwani, Sarang Latif and advertising companies’ representatives have been booked in the reference for allegedly committing corruption in awarding over Rs5.78 billion advertisements of the provincial government’s awareness campaigns to electronic media.

Memon’s counsel sought bail for his client on medical grounds, submitting that the ex-minister was unwell and required medical treatment and surgery as recommended by the medical board constituted by the trial court. He submitted that the high court had on March 2 rejected the bail plea of the petitioner, observing that the matter pertained to medical treatment and the issue of hospitalisation had been taken up by the Supreme Court.

He said the Supreme Court had disposed of the suo moto proceedings with regard to Memon’s hospitalisation after withdrawing notices against doctors who had opined that he should be treated in hospital.

The counsel further mentioned that the apex court did not issue any adverse remarks against the petitioner’s medical board report and observed that if the petitioner was unwell and needed hospitalisation or release on bail, the matter would be decided by the court of competent jurisdiction.

The counsel requested the court to grant his client bail on medical grounds as various medical boards constituted by the government were of opinion that he needed surgery, which was not possible at the prison hospital, and in case of delay in the surgery, the patient could suffer permanent disability.

A division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro issued notices to NAB and others and sought their comments on April 18. The court had earlier dismissed protective bail pleas of Memon and 13 other accused, observing that current case was more a case of a joint criminal enterprise whereby every accused played their role in order to achieve a criminal object.

Hearing put off

An accountability court put off the hearing of a corruption reference against Sharjeel Inam Memon and 12 other accused till April 14.

Earlier, the court expressed its displeasure over the failure of co-accused Inam Akbar, who is on bail, and his attorney Azhar Siddiq to appear. It said that previously it had taken back a fine imposed on the attorney for an accused, but the attorneys had not yet mended their ways.

The court directed the attorneys to ensure their presence so the trial could move forward smoothly. Memon and other accused attended the day’s proceedings, however. Memon along with 11 others was arrested by NAB in October last year after the rejection of their bail pleas by the high court.