KARACHI: A accountability court on Monday indicted Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Inam Memon and other accused in assets beyond means case.
Memon and other suspects appeared before the accountability court as it resumed hearing. They pleaded not guilty to the charge of accumulation assets than their known sources of income.
The court directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to present its witnesses on next hearing to record their statements. The court adjourned the case until November 10.
According to the anti-graft watchdog, Memon amassed assets around Rs2.43 billion through unfair means. The bureau filed a reference against him, his wife Sadaf Sharjeel, mother Zeenat Inam and others in 2019.
During an earlier on September 30, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has restrained NAB from Sharjeel Memon in assets beyond means cases.
During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor said that they have already submitted the details regarding the reference filed against Sharjeel Memon. He said two references have been filed against him and two inquiries and two investigations against him separately underway.
The counsel of Sharjeel Memon in his argument before the SHC bench said it seems that NAB is carrying out more hidden inquiries against his client and pleaded with the court to seek details from the NAB in this context. SHC directed the NAB not to arrest Sharjeel Memon without permission from the court and adjourned the hearing until October 27.
The former Sindh minister and 16 others have been charged with misappropriating advertisement funds of the information department to the tune of Rs5.76 billion.
NAB had filed a reference against them in 2016 over involvement in alleged irregularities in awarding contracts to different newspapers and channels for running public interest advertisements.
He was arrested in a case pertaining to the award of advertisements at exorbitant rates on October 23, 2017, and was later released on bail granted by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on June 25, 2019.
