Possession of alcohol is ‘personal issue’, says Sharjeel Memon

–Hearing of corruption case adjourned till Sept 26 as Memon’s blood samples have been sent to Aga Khan Laboratory for re-examination

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Memon on Saturday said that the discovery of alcohol bottles in his possession is his ‘personal issue’ and not the party’s.

The former Sindh minister was produced before an accountability court in a Rs 6 billion corruption case, however the hearing of the case was adjourned till September 26 owing to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor’s absence.

Memon had earlier made headlines after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had found alcohol bottles in his hospital room following which he was shifted back to Karachi Central Jail.

Following the appearance in court, Memon was bombarded with questions by reporters.

When asked to comment on the CJP’s surprise visit to his room at a private hospital where he was undergoing treatment, Memon said the matter is sub-judice so he will not talk about it till the inquiry is complete.

“I will not say anything regarding this matter till the inquiry is completed,” he said, adding that “a First Information Report (FIR) has already been registered against me for allegedly possessing liquor”.

Responding to another question as to why the PPP did not defend him on the issue, Memon said, “This is my personal matter and not the party’s.”

On Sept 3, Memon’s medical report revealed that there were no traces of alcohol in his blood, while a chemical examination of the two liquor bottles recovered from the imprisoned politician’s hospital room was declared free of alcohol.

Following this, Memon’s blood samples were collected again by the authorities and were sent to Aga Khan Laboratory for re-examination.

The results will be crosschecked with the results of Memon’s previous tests in order to determine the authenticity of the medical report clearing Memon’s name.

Earlier, on September 1, the imprisoned PPP leader who was at Karachi’s Ziauddin Hospital on the pretext of illness was found in possession of “liquor bottles and drugs” after CJP Nisar paid a surprise visit to the hospital. Memon, who had been in judicial custody at the hospital, where his room had been declared a sub-jail, was sent back to jail soon after the incident.

Two people, including Memon’s driver, were subsequently taken into custody in connection with the presence of liquor at the hospital. Jan Mohammad, who was one of the two men taken into custody, told reporters while being taken away that the bottles spotted by CJP Nisar did not contain liquor.