SC orders Agha Siraj Durrani to surrender to NAB

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani to surrender to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in assets beyond means case.

Durrani showed up before the apex court after evading the anti-corruption watchdog for a month and a half. He had gone into hiding after the Sindh High Court (SHC) revoked his bail.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, took up a petition filed by the PPP leader seeking pre-arrest bail. His lawyer requested the court to grant his client bail so he can surrender before the relevant trial court.

Rejecting the plea, the top court directed Durrani to surrender to the bureau.

“We have to proceed with the case as per the law,” Justice Bandial remarked.

“We will take up your bail petition once you surrender,” Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a member of the bench, said.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah noted that the accused didn’t surrender to the NAB despite his bail revoked by the Sindh High Court.

The counsel stated that his client has surrendered before the apex court, insisting that the speaker be granted bail. At this, Justice Sajjad said the court doesn’t accept such a surrender.

On Oct 14, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had turned down the interim bail of provincial assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the assets reference filed by the corruption watchdog.

The SHC, however, allowed the bail petitions of Mr Durrani’s wife, three daughters, a son and two others in the same reference. Subsequently, a NAB team raided the residence of Durrani to arrest him but it had to return empty-handed as he was not present there. There has been no clue to his whereabouts since then.