Sharjeel decries leniency towards Sharifs in corruption cases

KARACHI: Former provincial minister Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday said former premier Nawaz Sharif and his family members’ names wouldn’t be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) owing to “double standards of justice” in the country.

In a brief interaction with the media outside an accountability court here, the former Sindh information minister decried the sympathetic attitude of authorities towards PML-N leaders in corruption references.

Without citing name of any political leader, Memon said the treatment of officials with Punjab-based politicians was different than the treatment with political workers and leaders of other provinces.

“Politicians in Punjab facing trial [on corruption charges] aren’t arrested,” Memon asserted while referring to his arrest incident at Benazir International Airport (BBIA) in Islamabad.

Earlier, the accountability court adjourned the hearing of graft case pertaining to corruption of Rs 5.76 billion in the Sindh Information Department until 11:00 am today owing to absence of prosecution witnesses.

At the last hearing on February 15, Memon along with 11 other co-accused was indicted in the corruption case.

All accused denied corruption charges against them. The judge has summoned witnesses to appear before the court and record their statements at the next hearing.

After charges framed against the accused, Memon’s lawyer Inam Akber filed objections stating that his client could not be indicted  in the case. He asked the court to hear his arguments on the matter.

Graft reference

Memon was arrested by a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team on October 23 last year after the Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected his bail plea in a corruption case regarding the award of government advertisements at ‘exorbitant rates’ by abusing his powers as provincial minister of information.

Sharjeel Memon, who had returned to Pakistan in March this year after his two-year-long self-imposed exile, is facing several charges of misappropriation and corruption.

A reference filed against him related to the alleged award of government advertisements at exorbitant rates, causing loss of more than Rs five billion to the national exchequer.