SHC seeks details of arrest warrant against Sohail Anwar Siyal

Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the prosecutor for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to provide details of the proceedings held to issue arrest warrants of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Leader Sohail Anwar Siyal.

When a petition of Sindh’s former home minister for confirmation of pre-arrest bail was taken up for hearing by a two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, the NAB prosecutor submitted a report of progress made in an inquiry against him regarding the accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income.

The NAB prosecutor submitted that the inquiry against Siyal and other suspects was in the final stages, and a draft was sent to the NAB headquarters seeking further instructions.

The bench at this juncture inquired from the NAB prosecutor whether the arrest of Siyal in the inquiry was necessary and whether a warrant for his arrest was issued or being contemplated to be issued. The prosecutor submitted that only the inquiry officer could have made a statement in this regard who was not present in the court.

The bench directed the NAB to submit details about arrest warrants and extended Siyal’s bail till November 11.

Moreover, the same bench was apprised by the NAB prosecutor that the corruption watchdog had already filed two accountability references against former Sindh minister Sharjeel Memon. Reportedly, two inquiries and two investigations were still going against him.

The counsel for Sharjeel stated, “It seems that the NAB had been secretly conducting further inquiries against him.”

He requested the court to direct NAB to submit a fresh report detailing the nature, and the number of inquiries that had been going on or being considered to be initiated against Memon.

The bench directed the NAB to present details of ongoing and contemplated inquiries against Memon till October 27 and, till then, restrained the bureau from arresting him.