ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday arrested Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in assets beyond means case from outside the Supreme Court (SC) premises after Durrani surrendered on apex court’s orders.
The orders were given during a hearing of the provincial assembly speaker’s plea seeking bail in the case pertaining to owning assets beyond known sources of income and alleged corruption.
A three-member bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, was heard the plea. However, Justice Bandial rejected Durani’s plea to surrender before the trial court, and remarked that he could not order the surrender before the trial court.
“We must abide by the law,” the apex judge said. Justice Sajjad Ali Shah told the PPP leader to surrender to NAB first. “If you surrender, we will take up your bail guarantee application,” the judge assured.
Meanwhile, the SC also rejected Durrani’s request to restrict NAB officials from arresting him from the courtroom. “We have turned ourselves in before you [apex court],” Naqvi said.
Last month, an accountability court in Karachi had reissued warrants for the arrest of Durrani and 10 co-accused in a NAB reference pertaining to his Rs1.61 billion assets and alleged corruption.
On February 20, 2019, Durrani was arrested by NAB at an Islamabad hotel for an investigation into his movable and immovable assets allegedly acquired beyond his known sources of income, making 352 illegal appointments and embezzlement of public funds in the construction of the MPAs’ Hostel and the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as the appointment of project directors for these schemes.
Besides Durrani, his wife, children, brother and some associates have been nominated in the reference as well. The NAB had approved an inquiry against Durrani in July 2018 over various allegations of corruption.
The anti-graft watchdog claims Durrani was unable to account for a difference of Rs1,610,669,528 between his declared income from 1985 to 2018, and assets including properties and vehicles.
The bureau’s report said Durrani misrepresented the value of 27 declared and undeclared assets including properties and investments. NAB said the assets were valued at Rs479.4 million but the PPP leader showed them to be worth Rs151.6 million.
