SHC dismisses Sharjeel Memon's urgent bail plea

By
Jawad Shoaib
PPP leader Sharjeel Memon in SHC today. Photo: Geo News

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected on Friday former provincial information minister Sharjeel Memon’s instant bail petition.

Memon was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in October last year in the Rs5.76 billion corruption case. There are at least 11 other under-custody suspects in the case.

Rejecting the former minister’s plea, Justice Iqbal Kalhoro remarked what the hurry is.

Memon’s counsel, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Latif Khosa, replied that his client is unwell and the jail, where he is on judicial remand, does not have adequate facilities.

The bench then directed Khosa to submit the request in the court office as per the rules.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected the bail applications of Memon and other accused after the SHC had done the same last year. 

Memon's return, arrest 

Memon, who returned to Pakistan in March this year after ending his near two-year-long self-imposed exile, was arrested on his arrival by NAB but later obtained bail.

The suspects are accused of corruption worth Rs5.76 billion in the award of advertisements of the Sindh government’s awareness campaigns in the electronic media in the previous PPP government.

The other accused in the case include bureaucrats, officials of the information department and members of private advertising agencies.

Memon claims the charges against him are politically motivated.