Sharjeel Memon admitted to JPMC after complaints of back pain: sources
November 18, 2017
KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and former provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon was admitted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre following complaints of a back pain.
Memon was shifted to JPMC's special ward from the central jail, sources told this correspondent.
Earlier today, the arrested PPP leader's medical reports were presented in court. The judge advised Memon to get his treatment in jail.
After Memon was arrested by National Accountability Bureau officials, sources had told this correspondent that a special room was prepared for Memon's stay in the hospital's special ward.
Memon was arrested by NAB on October 23, after hours of being holed up in court premises. He was taken into custody as he left the court.
The former minister was escorted from the court premises by Rangers and NAB personnel and was surrounded by his lawyers and other supporters. As he was leaving the court, resistance was offered by his supporters leading to an exchange of hot words with NAB officials.
Memon's lawyers had advised him to hand himself over to NAB officials.
Eleven other accused in the case were also arrested by the accountability bureau. The former information minister is expected to be produced before an accountability court on October 24.
Memon was shifted to NAB headquarters Sindh after being escorted from the court.
"The accused persons are charged with embezzlement of Rs. 5,766,479,766 purportedly paid to seven advertising agencies for awareness campaigns between 2013 and 2015," said a press release by NAB.
"The accused persons jointly and severally in connivance with each other have been alleged for awarding the contracts to favour certain advertising agencies and to their own favour, in violation of relevant laws and rules and against exorbitant rates," added the release.
Memon was attempting to avoid being arrested by NAB after the cancellation of his bail extension plea by the Sindh High court earlier today.
The SHC rejected the bail pleas of Memon and 12 others in a graft case.
Hearing the Rs5.76 billion corruption case, filed by NAB, SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh dismissed the request of the suspects to extend their bails in the case.
Following the bail dismissal, NAB officials were waiting outside the court, along with the Rangers, to take the accused into custody.
Earlier this month on November 6, Memon had challenged his arrest in an accountability court, saying that his arrest warrants weren’t issued on October 23 — the day he was taken into custody — hence his detention should be declared illegal.
During the hearing, counsel said that his client’s arrest was not ordered by the honourable court and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has misdirected the judiciary on Memon’s arrest.
He had added that in the document provided to the court, NAB falsely stated in the court that Memon was arrested in the Rs5.67 billion case near the Passport Office whereas quite contrary to it, his client was taken into custody from the court’s premises.
Memon’s counsel jad requested the court to immediately give its decision on his client’s petition against his arrest.
