NAB seeks court to extend remand of Khursheed Shah

SUKKUR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sought the court for an extension in remand of the Pakistan People’s Pary (PPP) central leader Khursheed Shah on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

The accountability court conducted hearing of the case related to the arrest of Khursheed Shah here today.

As the hearing went underway, the NAB prosecutor said that the Shah’s house is constructed on welfare plot with the cost of Rs60 million which came under the investigation of assets beyond income.

He added that the investigators have found 10 bank accounts of the politicians along with records of transactions up to millions of rupees. The prosecutor told the court that Shah possesses various benami [undisclosed] properties.

The politician’s counsel Mukesh Kumar argued that Shah is the target of political revenge as the high court had earlier acquitted him in the allegations. He complained that the NAB officials did not allow him to meet Shah despite the court orders. He claimed that the on-duty officials forced him to talk in the Urdu language with Shah.

Read: PPP’s Khursheed Shah taken into custody by NAB

He continued that the anti-corruption watchdog found no evidences against his client as the investigation is now shrunken to four plot after levelling allegations of Rs500 billion financial irregularities.

Kumar said that his client had also faced accountability process during [former prime minister] Nawaz Sharif’s tenure and [former president] General Retd. Pervez Musharraf’s era for the second time. He expressed hopes that the court will also acquit Shah once again.

Furthermore, five judicial orders in previous cases were also presented before the court.

The lawyer said that Shah is being harassed by the NAB officers in custody which did not belong to Sukkur. He claimed that the house of the politician is situated inside a private society and such societies are allowed to change the formation of the plots. He added that the house is not constructed on government land.

Read: PPP’s Khursheed Shah shifted to Sukkur by NAB

The accountability court’s judge questioned the counsel for providing the reason to not handing over the documents to the NAB investigators.

However, the counsel insisted the court sending Khursheed Shah in judicial custody instead of extending his remand. He pleaded to send Shah to jail besides ordering the anti-graft watchdog to immediately conclude the investigations.

In the hearing of another case related to assets’ beyond income, Raza Rabbani represented Khursheed Shah in the court where he adopted the same rhetoric for his client of being targeted of political revenge.

Rabbani replied when questioned for why they are not coordinating with the NAB investigators in the probe by the judge. He said that Shah had been acquitted by the Supreme Court (SC) after the allegations were levelled against him. The counsel claimed that politicians are being defamed through media trial, whereas, the NAB officials did not care about human rights.

Read: Court hands over Khursheed Shah to NAB on 9-day physical remand

He continued that the officials of the anti-corruption watchdog should have given them time for legal consultation after sending the questionnaire to his client. He pleaded the court for directing the investigators to submit concrete evidences after releasing Khursheed Shah from their custody.

Earlier, Pakistan People’s Party stalwart and former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah had been taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 18.

The arrest was made after Khursheed Shah excused himself from appearing before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over its summon.

The PPP central leader was summoned by the anti-corruption watchdog for interrogation today after the opening of an inquiry against him over disclosure of assets worth more than Rs.500billion registered under his alleged frontmen.

The high-profile task was undertaken by NAB teams of Sukkur and Rawalpindi in a joint operation, the arrest has been made in the ongoing assets beyond means investigations against the politician.