ISLAMABAD - The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Friday arrested Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani from outside the Supreme Court building.
A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah had ordered Siraj Durrani to surrender before the NAB while hearing his bail plea.
During the course of proceedings, Justice Mansoor remarked that the Sindh High Court had rejected Durrani’s bail plea on the basis of merit. He said that the apex court could not conduct a hearing on Siraj’s plea without reviewing the high court’s verdict.
Justice Sajjad while addressing Agha Siraj who appeared before the bench in person said that he (Siraj) must had been jailed if the SHC had rejected his bail. Justice Bandial also rejected Siraj Durani’s plea to surrender before the trial court, and remarked that the court could not order the surrender before the trial court. “We must abide by the law,” he added.
The court after hearing arguments ordered Agha Siraj Durrani to first comply with the SHC’s order and surrender before NAB and then the court would conduct a hearing on this case next week.
The bench also rejected Durrani’s request to restrict NAB officials from arresting him from the courtroom.
Justice Bandial directed Durrani to first surrender before NAB. He said that the court had already given him concession earlier as well and now there was a high court’s order against him. He said that the court would not intervene in NAB’s matters. Later, hearing of the case was adjourned for one week.
The NAB had filed a reference against Siraj Durrani, his brother Agha Masihuddin Khan, wife, son, daughters as well as 13 others before an accountability court in Karachi in 2019 for allegedly accumulating assets worth over Rs1.61 billion through illegal means.
