Haleem’s acquittal plea rejected by Hyderabad anti-corruption court

Hyderabad: A special anti-corruption court in Hyderabad on Saturday rejected the acquittal plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh in a corruption case.

Sheikh, who also served as the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, was brought to the court in an armoured vehicle. The court rejected Sheikh’s acquittal plea and ordered that the case be proceeded. The hearing was adjourned till December 18.

The counsel for Sheikh had filed a petition for his acquittal at the last hearing in the special anti-corruption court, taking the stance that the case of illegal allotment of land against the PTI leader was fake.

The lawyers had informed the court that after taking a loan of Rs2.1 million from the Agricultural Development Bank, Sheikh bought 21 acres of land from private individuals, and the land in question was not the government land.

The counsel argued that no case could be made out against Sheikh. Talking to the media, Sheikh's lawyer Faisal Mughal said his client had been implicated in the case for taking a loan from the bank. He also returned the loan to the Agricultural Development Bank in 2007, the receipts of which had been submitted by the bank to the court, the lawyer added. Mughal said that after the rejection of acquittal plea, his client had the right to file an appeal with the Sindh High Court.