KARACHI – An accountability court on Saturday extended the duration of physical remand of Sindh Assembly Speaker, Agha Siraj Durrani till April 12.
The PPP leader was arrested by National Accountability Bureau from outside a hotel in Islamabad on Feb 20 for accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income as well as for alleged embezzlement of public funds.
During the hearing of the case today, the NAB prosecutor informed the court that Durrani has been barred from visiting the Sindh Assembly as the investigation is being conducted thoroughly.
Durrani, who was present in court, argued that in the previous term of physical remand, he had only been questioned for ten minutes and the NAB team kept asking him the same questions over and over again; the Speaker Sindh Assembly also complained that no one was being allowed to see him.
On the other hand, NAB officials said that Durrani was not being mistreated at all adding that an air conditioner has been installed in Durrani’s room.
“[But] we will go to every level for justice,” the NAB prosecutor asserted and alleged that Durrani was colluding with three other people, who had been sent on bail.
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“Those three people do not even own motorcycles themselves but are giving out millions in gifts,” the NAB prosecutor alleged, adding that the PPP leader had denied knowing about any of these three people.
Durrani’s lawyer, on the other hand, said that the Supreme Court should issue some guidelines towards arresting suspects as the arrest warrants issued against his client still do not mention the reason.
The defending lawyer said that they [NAB] should be provided a copy of the video of the raid on the suspect’s house to which NAB officer replied that the video will be provided once it comes in. the court asked Durrani’s counsel to file a plea in this regard.
After hearing the arguments, the accountability court in Karachi extended the physical remand till April 12.
The arrest of Durrani has become a bone of contention between NAB and Pakistan Peoples Party as party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari s alleging that the anti-graft body is being used for political engineering.
NAB had approved an inquiry against Durrani over various allegations of corruption in July last year.
NAB’s regional board had approved three separate inquiries against the politician regarding assets beyond known sources of income, 352 illegal appointments, and embezzlement of funds for the construction of an MPA hostel and construction of the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as in the appointment of project directors for the said projects.
