SHC reserves verdict of Agha Siraj’s case

Sindh High Court (SHC) has reserved verdict in a case related to bail plea of the incumbent Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani in assets beyond means case.

The court earlier on November 18, adjourned the hearing till today, directing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor to submit his final arguments in the case.

During court proceedings today, the court asked as to why the daughters of the speaker were named in the illegal assets case. “Is a 16-year planned to conceal assets in her name,” the judge asked.

The NAB prosecutor responded that the daughters were included in the reference for having benami properties in their name.

“Similar happened in the case of Nawaz Sharif where his daughter and sons were included in the case for having such properties,” the persecutor argued while giving an example but was unable to give a proper reference of it when the judge asked him.

You cannot move ahead while not mentioning a proper reference of the case, the top provincial court judge said.

The prosecutor, however, demanded the provincial apex court judge to reject the bail plea as the accused was influential and could exercise his powers to damage the case if allowed to roam free on bail.

On November 19, an accountability court decided to indict Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and other accused in an ongoing investigation of assets beyond known sources of income on December 3.

The court, however, ordered to separate Durrani’s wife, his son and daughters from the reference, and directed authorities concerned to initiate proceedings of the declaring the accused fugitive.

The court then reserved the verdict of the case.