ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over the bail application of former Sindh information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.
The three-judge bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan on Wednesday heard Memon’s application seeking bail in graft cases. Justice Latif Khosa appeared on behalf of the applicant.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader is facing corruption allegations worth five billion and 77 crore rupees in awarding provincial government’s public campaigns and advertisements to electronic media.
During the hearing, the counsel argued that NAB has adopted a dual policy as an accused in Sindh is sent behind bars, but the same is not happening in Punjab in similar cases.
The court while issuing notices to NAB adjourned the hearing till first week of January.
On Monday, an accountability court deferred the indictment of Memon, Inam Akbar and others in a reference. The NAB filed the reference on October 2 last year, alleging Memon, Akbar and others of corruption. Memon and co-accused were arrested by the NAB following the cancellation of their interim bail by the Sindh High Court (SHC) October 23 this year.
Besides him, the former provincial information secretary Zulfiqar Ali Shalwani, deputy directors of information department Anita Baloch, Mansoor Ahmed Rajput and Mohammed Yousuf Kaboro, Syed Masood Hashmi of the Orient Communication (PVT) Ltd, Gulzar Ali and Salman Mansoor of Adarts and Inam Akbar of Evernew Concepts were among the 17 accused cited in the reference.
On Monday, the NAB court was expected to convict Memon and eleven co-accused, however, no progress was made in the regard and the hearing was delayed until December 14.
This prompted the court to defer the indictment of all accused till the next hearing.
Meanwhile, Memon’s counsel moved an application, asking the court to tell the provincial government to form a medical board for examination.