SHC adjourns Siraj Durrani's bail hearing till Nov 04

KARACHI: The prosecutor of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) partially completed his arguments over bail petitions of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and others in Sindh High Court on Monday, ARY News reported.

The court adjourned the hearing till November 04.

“The NAB investigation officer demands relevant record by writing letters to the State Bank, NADRA and other institutions”, prosecutor said in his arguments. ” Siraj Durrani would have submitted returns in the FBR,” the bench asked.

“The investigation officer in person collected the record,” judges further asked.

“IOs act like kings and demand records by issuing call up notices”, the bench remarked. “Why they don’t visit every branch to collect record,” the bench questioned.

“How an investigation officer will complete his inquiry in a fixed time if he visits every branch in person,” NAB prosecutor argued.

“Shutdown the NAB if an IO could not visit (for record)”, the court said.

The payments were made in the name of Mitha Khan, who is a driver, the prosecutor said.

“If someone refers Mitha Khan as a son of Trump, will you agree”, the bench asked the NAB prosecutor. “The reference comprises of 13 folders, which has been prepared after investigations,” the prosecutor replied.

“They were in hurry to arrest Siraj Durrani and initiated inquiry after it,” Durrani’s lawyer said. “Durrani was arrested in the inquiry phase,” the court said.

“What was the source of money to Mitha Khan,” the bench asked. “Mitha Khan didn’t answer this question,” NAB prosecutor said.

Durrani’s counsel pleaded to the court for bail to his client who is currently in jail.

The bench adjourned further hearing of the case until Nov. 04.

In an earlier hearing the court expressed dissatisfaction over the arguments of the NAB prosecutor and investigation officer.

Agha Siraj Durrani has been in jail in NAB reference about assets beyond known sources of income.

The NAB named 20 persons including Agha Siraj as accused in the reference filed in accountability court Karachi.

According to the NAB charge-sheet the accused were involved in corruption of upto 1.6 billion rupees.

The NAB executive board had approved filing of a reference against Durrani in assets case.

The NAB Karachi had arrested Agha Siraj Durrani from a hotel in Islamabad in February this year.