SHC rejects Sharjeel Memon's plea for removal of travel restrictions

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition of former provincial minister Sharjeel Memon through which he sought removal of restrictions on his travelling abroad, ARY News reported.

A two-judge bench of the court dismissed the petition after hearing concluding arguments from the federal law officer, the NAB’s counsel and the petitioner’s lawyer.

The PPP leader had petitioned the high court seeking its directives for the interior ministry to strike his name off the exit control list (ECL).

Memon’s lawyer contended that his client’s name was placed on the ECL without any plausible reason. He wanted to go back to London for treatment, he said, pleading to the judges to direct the authorities to remove his name from the ECL.

The PPP leader, who is facing two corruption cases involving multi-billion rupees, is out on bail. He had landed at the Islamabad airport in March this year after ending his two-year long self-imposed exile in London.

Opposing his plea, the NAB’s lawyer argued that the petitioner was facing grave charges of corruption, and thus, he wanted to flee the country. He requested the judges to dismiss his petition as he was not entitled to such concession.

The former information minister is facing a corruption reference relating to the alleged award of government advertisements at exorbitant rates, causing loss of more than Rs five billion to the national exchequer. The NAB had also initiated an investigation against him for allegedly getting the state land allotted and adjusted in 43 Dehs at throwaway prices for the property developer, depriving the public exchequer of billions of rupees in revenue.