SC rejects Sharjeel Memon's bail application

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected bail applications submitted by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sharjeel Inam Memon and two others accused of corruption in contracting advertisements.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel heard the bail applications.

During the course of proceedings, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed that the appeal filed on behalf of Memon was regarding pre-arrest bail, whereas he had already been arrested. He asked Memon's counsel, Lateef Khosa, to approach the lower courts for his client's post-arrest bail instead.

Lateef Khosa, however, argued that NAB did not have the authority to arrest Memon in the first instance and the law could not be applied differently in different provinces.

"This is discriminatory behaviour," he argued.

The counsel of Yousuf Kaboro, a deputy director of the Sindh Information Department and a co-accused in the case, argued that Kaboro was facing charges of signing the fraudulent advertising bills only acted on the orders of the minister.

"The chairman NAB issues warrants on personal preferences," he alleged.

However, Justice Dost Mohammad remarked that the country was facing its crises because of people like Kaboro.

"The country was a better place when public servants would refused illegal requests," he remarked.

The bench subsequently rejected all appeals for relief.

It is to mention that the PPP leader had filed an appeal in the apex court on November 25, 2017 challenging the Sindh High Court's decision to reject his bail in a reference pertaining to the award of advertisements at exorbitant rates through the abuse of his power when he was the provincial information minister.

In his appeal, Memon had said that he should be granted bail since the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) does not have any evidence against him and because his arrest was in contradiction with accountability laws.