Karachi (November 13, 2017): The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected the identical petitions of former provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and others challenging issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants in different corruption references by accountability courts.
The petitioners, who included Sharjeel Memon, Dr Asim, former managing director of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited Basharat Mirza, Jamshoro Joint Venture Ltd (JJVL) former chief executive officer Iqbal Z. Ahmed and the official of a private media agency and others had moved to the SHC challenging issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants in different corruption references by accountability courts.
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Rejecting the petitions the court declared that the accountability court had powers to issue arrest warrants for the arrest of the accused.
A member of the bench Justice KK Agha observed that the NAB law should be applied equally across the country.
The petitioners’ counsel had expressed reservations over “dual” criteria of accountability in Punjab and Sindh alleging that the accountability courts of Sindh did not grant bail to the accused persons and instead they issued non-bailable warrants despite their cooperation.
The counsels had complained that the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, better known as NAB Ordinance, was a federal law but there was dual standard of accountability in different provinces.
A two-judge bench of the high court asked the NAB prosecutor as to why the accused persons of Sindh and Punjab were being treated differently.
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