Sharjeel Memon appears before NAB court despite ailment

KARACHI: Former information minister Sharjeel Memon on Thursday arrived at a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court for the hearing of a corruption reference filed against him.

The NAB has filed a reference against Memon and 10 others in an accountability court in Karachi for alleged corruption of around PKR 5 billion in the Department of Information Sindh.

Memon appeared in court for the first time in the reference case, despite a back-related ailment which hindered his movement, his lawyer said.

The former minister was seen walking to the court with assistance from his team. His lawyer told the media that Memon was suffering from a back-related ailment, for the treatment of which he had also travelled overseas.

Memon avoided speaking to the media about his detention. When asked why he was avoiding the media although Dr Asim had shared details about his imprisonment, Memon said Asim was a brave person.

The court adjourned the hearing until May 6.

The PPP leader was granted an interim bail by the Sindh High Court last month.

The former information minister was taken into custody from Islamabad airport by NAB personnel immediately after he landed in the country after two years. Memon had arrived from Dubai, accompanied by Sindh ministers Mukesh Chawla, Imdad Pitafi, Fayyaz Ali Butt and Nawab Taimur Talpur.

Others accused in the NAB case include Zulfiqar Ali Shallwani, Aneeta Baloch, Mansoor Ahmed Rajput, Mohammad Yousuf Kaboro, Inaam Akbar, Altaf Hussain Memon, Riyaz Manir, Fazal Mehmood, Mohammad Hanif, Asim, Masood Hashmi, Gulzar Ali, Suleman Mansoor Umer, Syed Naveed, and Sarang Latif Chandio.

Memon had been living in a self-imposed exile for more than two years in Dubai and London.