Daily Times

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday issued notices to Director General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Sukkur and the case officer in the assets case against People’s Party leader Manzoor Wassan.

Manzoor Wassan and other accused were present during hearing of the case. The court also extended protective bail of Wassan until March 11.

NAB prosecutor informed the bench that 42 properties have been traced during the inquiry against Manzoor Wassan. “What is evidence that proves ownership of properties by Manzoor Wassan,” the court asked the NAB lawyer. “We knew everything what NAB is doing in Sindh,” Chief Justice Sindh High Court Ahmed Ali Shaikh remarked.

The inquiry against the accused has been in progress, the prosecutor said and pleaded to the court for more time to submit final report of the inquiry. “The D.G. NAB will appear before the court in the next hearing to inform on the case,” the bench remarked and summoned progress report from the accountability bureau on March 11.

The Sindh High Court in previous hearing had ordered the accountability bureau to file reference against Wassan and informed the court on February 12.

PPP stalwart Wassan from Khairpur, who appeared in the court hearing, facing charges of having assets beyond known sources of income.

Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) authorities on Wednesday approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) against an accountability court decision of refusing plea bargain in the land defrauding case of an accused Adam Jokhio.

The NAB authorities took the plea in the court that the accused was ready for a plea bargain with the accountability watchdog but the court had rejected the offer.

The top court of the province after listening to initial remarks of the NAB prosecutor adjourned the proceedings.

In another plea, the counsel of Adam Jokhio requested the court for granting bail to the accused on medical grounds. “Adam Jokhio is ill and admitted to a hospital,” he said

To this, the chief justice asked as to why he is worried if his client was admitted to a hospital and rejected the bail plea. The court, however, approved a plea for forming a medical board to ascertain health issues faced by the accused and adjourned the hearing till February 27.

It is pertinent to mention here that on 11 December 2019, an accountability court rejected a petition of the NAB for acquittal of Adam Jokhio, who is accused of defrauding the general public.

The anti-graft watchdog in its plea in the court while seeking acquittal of the accused had said that Jokhio has made a plea bargain and agreed to hand over plots to aggrieved allottees.

Around 200 people had submitted affidavits in court, who were defrauded by Jokhio in 1992 by taking payments to booking plots in residential projects. But he did not hand over the allotted plots.

The court extended the judicial remand of Jokhio till December 24.

The court had earlier refused to immediately approve the plea bargain petition submitted by NAB and remarked that Jokhio should give the allotted land to the victims before it issued its decision on the plea bargain petition.

The accountability bureau officials had conducted raids in November at Haji Adam Jokhio’s house and office in Karachi.

The NAB had claimed that the accused was involved in cheating public at large by defrauding around 1100 allottees plots.