Daily Times

Sindh High Court (SHC) was informed on Wednesday that a summon issued by the accountability watchdog to a corruption suspect for investigation had turned out to be fictitious.

Upon hearing this from the accused’s lawyer, a two-judge bench headed by SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh issued orders to National

Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi Director General and Deputy Director to explain their position. This was done while taking an exception to the issuance of the fake call-up notice.

The accused, Shamshad Ali’s lawyer remarked that NAB had issued a fake notice to his client.

Expressing displeasure over the bureau, Justice Sheikh wondered if someone from NAB was behind this notice.

He also asked why the bureau had not investigated the matter to fix the responsibility.

“Who is serving NAB’s fake call-up notices on people?” he wondered while observing that someone from NAB might be involved in serving the fake notice.

The chief justice pledged to not let those behind forged notices go scot-free. The hearing was deferred until April 12.

Meanwhile Sindh High Court (SHC), on Wednesday, granted an extension in the protective bail of the former provincial minister, Jam Khan Shoro, till April 30, in an accountability inquiry.

On March 14, a two-judge bench headed by SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh approved the bail for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader against a surety of Rs 500,000.

During the hearing, National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s Investigation Officer (IO) noted that the watchdog body’s board had accorded approval to file references against the PPP leader and others for incurring significant losses to the national exchequer. He claimed that plots were auctioned by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) officials following directions from the accused.

“The reference will soon be presented before the court,” he further assured the bench.

The bureau is carrying out three different inquiries against the former Sindh’s local government minister, one of which pertains to the illegal allotment of as many as 62 government plots in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi.

NAB claims that this illegal allotment of plots has cost the national exchequer Rs180 million. Former KDA Director General, Nasir Abbas, has also been taken in custody on the same charges.