SHC rejects Nisar Morai's plea against his sentence

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday rejected the petition of the former chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society (FSC), challenging his sentence awarded by an accountability court in an illegal recruitment case. 

The SHC bench hearing the petition rejected Morai’s plea of quashing sentence awarded by an accountability court. However, the SHC, reduced the jail term to four years from 7 years of Nisar Morai, Sultan Qamar Siddiqui and the other seven accused in the case.

Morai in his appeal had pleaded to the high court for declaring the accountability court’s verdict as void. He also pleaded for his release from jail on bail until the final verdict of the court.

“The accountability court ignored facts in its judgment,” he said. “Not a single witness testified against me for financial misappropriation,” he had said.

“I was awarded jail sentence despite lack of any evidence against me,” he said.

It is to be noted that the court had awarded 11-year jail term to Nisar Morai in FCS reference. He was handed four years jail term for illegal recruitment and seven years’ sentence for misuse of authority.

In its verdict the court had observed that Nisar Morai made 143 illegal recruitment and regularized jobs of 20 people during his tenure and the charge of illegal recruitment against him has been proved in the case.

The NAB had filed a reference in January 2018, accusing then FCS chief Morai and others of misusing their authority, embezzling funds, making illegal appointments and awarding fake contracts during 2014-15.

According to the reference, the defendants caused losses to the tune of Rs 343 million to the national exchequer.