Assets beyond means case: SC grants post-arrest bail to Khursheed Shah

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court granted post arrest bail to Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) central leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on merit in the reference on assets beyond means.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, on Thursday, heard the bail petition of the PPP leader, who has been in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody for the last 24 months.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) in July this year had rejected the post-arrest bail of the PPP’s veteran leader.

Khursheed was granted bail subject to furnishing Rs10 million surety bond to the trial court.

The short order of the bench said; “The petitioner’s (Khursheed) is granted bail on merit. However, his name will remain on Exit Control List (ECL) subject to any relief granted by Accountability Court.”

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Justice Bandial directed the NAB prosecutor general to continue the investigation against the PPP leader.

Makhdoom Ali Khan, representing Khursheed, said that all the immoveable properties’ sale deeds and the Collector evaluation of the land is on the record.

The petitioner supplied all these documents to the anti-graft body, but it disregarded them, the counsel argued.

He said his client is in the NAB custody since 18 September 2019, adding out of 44 witnesses only eight witnesses have recorded their statement and cross-examined so far.

The investigation report and the reference were filed three months after the arrest.

He said many persons whom the NAB declared “Benamidar” of Khursheed are either not nominated in the case or they were already on bail.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021