SHC snubs Sharjeel Memon’s counsel,tells him to seek clear instructions

The Sindh High Court directed on Friday former provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon’s counsel, who sought further extension of his client’s transitory bail in a corruption reference, to obtain clear instructions from his client as his bail had already been extended three times.

Memon, a Pakistan People’s Party leader living in London after the law-enforcement agencies launched a crackdown on politicians and bureaucrats over corruption almost two years ago, submitted that he was booked by the National Accountability Bureau in a false corruption reference without being issued any call notice or any other information when he was out of the country.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that court had granted transitory protective bail until December 26 to surrender before the trial court in the Rs5 billion advertisement scam case and the NAB investigation pertained to the illegal allotment of government land in Malir.

He submitted that former minister was due to arrive in the country but could not travel because of his sickness and sought further extension of transitory bail until January 26 in the two cases so that he could safely land in the country and surrender before the trial court for obtaining bail in the case.

An SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar observed that the transitory bail of the petitioner had already been extended three times and court had also forfeited 50 percent of his surety.

The court directed the petitioner’s counsel to seek proper instructions from his client about the transitory bail extension and adjourned the hearing till January 6.

The court had earlier ordered the forfeiture of 50 percent of the surety amount - Rs1.5 million - deposited for the protective bail “to discourage him and others from misusing the extraordinary relief of protective bail as the counsel sought extension on Memon’s bail for a consecutive fourth time.

The court had extended his protective bail till December 26 but increased the surety amount to Rs4 million observing that surety of the former provincial information minister would automatically forfeit the additional fresh surety amount, if he failed to surrender before the trial court within the stipulated period.

The court made it clear that no further extension will be allowed in future unless exceptional circumstances are made out.

NAB had filed corruption reference against Memon and information department officials and advertising companies’ representatives for involvement in corruption while awarding advertisements of provincial government’s awareness campaigns to the electronic media worth over Rs5 billion.