Court says due process followed, all set to charge Memon, others

The accountability court (AC) hearing a corruption reference of more than Rs5 billion against former provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and others on Thursday fixed July 28 as the next date of hearing.

Earlier, the court had directed the attorney for Memon to withdraw his plea of non-provision of legal documents to his client, saying that almost all relevant documents had been provided to the former minister.

The court noted that an examination of the plea showed that all required documents had been hand over to Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sharjeel Memon. The court underlined that the reference made by the National Accountability Bureau did not lack any documents and proofs. The judge declared that the court would reject the plea if it was not withdrawn by the former minister.

When Memon’s lawyer said that his client wanted to have a proper trial, the judge remarked that the court was already conducting the trial in a very proper manner.

Remarking that there remained no legal hurdle to frame charges against Memon and others, the court directed the former minister’s attorney to consult with the prosecutor and the investigation officer about the details of the reference so the court could indict the accused without further delay.

Media talk 

Talking to journalists after outside the courtroom, Memon said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was trying all kinds of tactics to avoid disqualification.  He said the joint investigation team’s report submitted to the apex court had proved that the Sharif family had committed fraud and corruption.  Memon alleged that the prime minister was also involved in committing corruption in the Nandipur power project and the laptop scheme.