SHC warns former IGP against his lawyer’s absence

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday expressed displeasure over the absence of former provincial inspector general of police Ghulam Haider Jamali’s counsel and warned him that his bail will be recalled, if his lawyer does not come to argue the case.

The SHC bench was hearing the bail confirmation pleas of former IG and other senior police officers in Rs 50 million corruption case. During the hearing, the court got annoyed when it learnt that the lawyer representing Jamali could not appear before it.

Directing the former Sindh police chief to ensure that his lawyer must present on the next hearing, the court ruled that his bail would be recalled, if he failed to do so.

Jamali along with other top cops was booked by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in reference of Rs 50 million corruption filed in the accountability court.

The NAB had carried out the investigation in the light of the report of a three-member fact finding committee which was appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate irregularities in the recruitments in the Sindh police.

Jamali along with then Finance AIG Fida Hussain, then Sindh Reserve Police head Aitezaz Ahmed, then SSP Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, then SP of Matiari district Amjad Ahmed Shaikh, SP Khalid Mustafa Korai and others was booked in a reference for allegedly causing loss to the national exchequer by misusing their authority and making illegal appointments.

It was alleged that the above-mentioned police officers misused their authority and circumvented the required procedure to make illegal appointments in the Sindh police and the Sindh Reserve Police in particular, causing a loss of over Rs 50 million to the coffers.