Court seeks report on shifting Sharjeel Memon to hospital

An accountability court judge hearing the corruption reference against former information minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Inam Memon and others has directed the central prison superintendent and the JPMC management to submit a report about the transfer of Memon’s custody from the prison to JPMC.

Memon was shifted last month from the prison to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for the provision of necessary medical treatment. However, the court had expressed its displeasure over the move and had sought a report in this regard. As the authorities failed to submit the report during Monday’s hearing, the court issued orders that the report be submitted within three days.

The judge also issued notices to the prison superintendent and the JPMC management to submit the details of Memon’s shifting and the medical facilities being provided to him at the hospital within three days.

Memon and 12 other co-accused are being tried in a corruption reference of more than Rs5.76 million. They were arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) authorities in October last year after the Sindh High Court rejected their bail pleas.

Meanwhile, the hearing in the corruption reference against former officials of Lines Area Development Project, Farid Naseem, Shahid Umer, Atta Abbas, Rashid Nasim and others, was adjourned on Monday till May 9 because the judge hearing the case was on leave.

The former officials of the development project are accused of disposing of 227 plots under the scheme of ‘china-cutting’ that caused a great loss to the national exchequer. The accused have already been indicted. A witness Sabeeh Rafe is due to be cross-examined in this case, while the witnesses produced by NAB would be cross-examined at the next hearing.