CJP finds alcohol in Sharjeel Memon’s hospital room

KARACHI: The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, on Saturday ordered shifting of PPP MPA Sharjeel Inam Memon, an under trial prisoner in Rs.5 billion corruption case, from private hospital to the Central Prison after recovery of liquor bottles from his room declared sub-jail by the prison authorities.

The Chief Justice had paid a surprise visit to the private hospital situated in Clifton and to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center which were declared sub-jail for PPP MPA Sharjeel Memon and a money laundering accused Anwar Majeed and his son. Memon and Anwar Majeed were being provided treatment at the hospitals under the orders of the trial court. The prison authorities had filed a report before the Chief Justice about hospitalization of under trial prisoners including Sharjeel Inam Memon and Anwar Majeed, both close aides of former President and PPP’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, facing multi billion corruption and money laundering charges in trial courts.

The Chief Justice visited the luxury hospital room of Sharjeel Memon, declared sub-jail and observed that Sharjeel Memon was fit and healthy. Three bottles of liquor were found during the inspection by the Chief Justice and when the former confronted the PPP MPA about the bottles, he denied any knowledge claiming they did not belong to him. While directing an inquiry of the incident and that of the visitors to the under trial prisoner, the Chief Justice directed the prison authorities to shift Sharjeel Memon to the Central Prison. The PPP MPA was subsequently shifted to the Central Prison and his blood samples were obtained for tests. The police also sealed the hospital room. Later, the CJP visited the sub-jail at the Jinnah Post Medical Graduate Centre and the court staff took some record into their custody.

Later during the hearing of the human rights cases at the Supreme Court's Karachi Registry, the Chief Justice of Pakistan while narrating details of his inspection of the sub jail and the subsequent recovery of liqour, directed the newly appointed Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan to look into the affairs of the province. The Chief Justice also heard complaints of the citizens in the human rights cases including cases of missing persons and sought comments from the authorities concerned. The CJP also directed the SC’s constituted recovery commission to file comments on petitions to the whereabouts of the missing people.