The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed as withdrawn the post-arrest bail plea of former Sindh information minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Memon, who is allegedly involved in misappropriations of Rs 5.76 billion in the award of government advertisements.
A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel after hearing the counsel for the petitioner refused to grant bail. However, the court accepted his request and allowed him to withdraw the bail plea.
After withdrawal, the court dismissed the bail plea as withdrawn and observed that the petitioner might approach the Sindh High Court (SHC) for the post-arrest bail on fresh grounds.
In January this year, the Supreme Court had rejected the bail applications moved by Sharjeel Memon and two others accused of corruption in contracting advertisements requisitioned by the Sindh government.
A NAB team had taken Memon into custody on Oct 23, 2017, after the SHC had rejected his bail plea. NAB had said that it investigated corruption and corrupt practices in the award of advertisements against the law and at exorbitant rates to TV channels and FM radio stations for various awareness campaigns between July 2013 and June 2015.
According to NAB reference, Memon illegally approved the release of official advertisements to the electronic media through so-called, pre-qualified advertising agencies without completing the due process.
Memon is also facing a separate reference regarding illegal adjustment and consolidation of hundreds of acres of land in favour of a private housing project.
Published in Daily Times, April 20th 2018.
