ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday declared the Sindh High Court (SHC) judgment void in Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Khan Durrani’s bail and remanded it to the SHC to decide the case in light of the facts and evidence.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial conducted hearing of the appeals of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking cancellation of Siraj Durrani and others’ bails in corruption case. The bench barred the arrest of the Speaker Sindh Assembly till the SHC reviews its order.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the SHC granted bail to the Sindh Assembly speaker without considering any concrete basis. “There should be [some] basis for granting bail,” he added.
The apex court ordered that a bench comprising senior judges of the SHC should hear the bail plea.
The Special Prosecutor National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed that the assets of Siraj Durrani are beyond his source of income. The NAB alleged that Agha Siraj Durrani had accumulated assets worth Rs. 1.6 billion along with other co-accused who are his family members. He further told that Siraj Durrani and his family could not provide a satisfactory reply about his assets.
NAB had arrested Durrani in February, 2019, in Islamabad. It later filed a reference against him regarding accumulation of assets worth over Rs1.61 billion through illegal means.
The Sindh High Court had granted bail to Siraj Durrani, Agha Masihuddin, Tufail Ahmed, Mitha Khan, Shamshad Khatoon, Aslam Parvez, Zulfiqar Ali, Gulzar Ahmed and Shakeel Ahmed.
According to the NAB, three separate inquiries are against the PPP leader: the first inquiry pertains to an allegation of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by Durrani; the second relates to 352 illegal appointments made by him; and the third pertains to embezzlement of funds for the construction of the MPA Hostel and construction of the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as in the appointment of project directors for the said projects.
