Supreme Court sets aside SHC's decision of granting bail to Agha Siraj Durrani

(Karachi) The Supreme Court of Pakistan has set aside Sindh High Court's decision to grant bail to PPP leader Agha Siraj Durrani and declared it as null and void in the assets beyond means case, local media reported on Wednesday.

As per details, hearing a petition on Siraj's bail, top court Judge Justice Umar Ata Bandial stated that the SHC granted bail to the Sindh Assembly speaker without considering any concrete basis. He added that the high court should decide on the matter keeping in view the facts and evidences.

The top court further instructed that a bench comprising senior judges should hear the bail plea. “There should be a ground for granting bail,” Justice Bandial observed.

The SC said that Durrani will not be arrested following the decision. However, the apex court gave two months time to the SHC for reviewing the matter.

The NAB had alleged that Agha Siraj Durrani had accumulated assets worth Rs 1.6 billion along with other co-accused who are his family members. The special prosecutor general argued that Siraj Durrani and his family could not provide a satisfactory reply about their assets.

NAB had arrested Durrani in February, 2019, in Islamabad. It later filed a reference against him regarding accumulation of assets worth over Rs1.61 billion through illegal means.

The Sindh High Court had granted bail on December 13, 2019 to Durrani, Agha Masihuddin, Tufail Ahmed, Mitha Khan, Shamshad Khatoon, Aslam Parvez, Zulfiqar Ali, Gulzar Ahmed and Shakeel Ahmed.

The NAB stated that three separate inquiries are against the PPP leader: the first inquiry pertains to an allegation of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by Durrani; the second relates to 352 illegal appointments made by him; and the third pertains to embezzlement of funds for the construction of the MPAs Hostel and construction of the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as in the appointment of project directors for the said projects.