KARACHI – Interned former Sindh information minister and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sharheel Memon have reportedly arranged more than 200 expensive and new vehicles to run his election campaign in Tandojam.
The vehicles, which have been purchased and hired for purposes of the election, are decorated with the pictures of Memon, who is facing corruption charges, and his party symbol, the arrow.
According to details, the vehicles arrived in Rawal House in Tandojam from where the embattled leader is going to contest elections from PS-63 constituency.
In the nomination papers submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Memon has declared assets in his and his wife’s names worth Rs160m as on June 30, 2017. His assets’ worth has decreased by Rs13.7m from fiscal 2016 when it stood at Rs173.758m.
On the other hand, he was shifted to Ziauddin Hospital from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center due to severe back pain, while the jail officials have declared Ziauddin Hospital as sub-jail.
Sharjeel Memon’s Indictment in Corruption Case
On February 15, an accountability court indicted former Sindh information minister and 11 others in a case pertaining to alleged corruption of Rs5.76 billion.
The other accused in the case include former Sindh Information Secretary Zulfiqar Ali Shalwani, officials of the information department and members of private advertising agencies.
On October 23 last year, the NAB had taken Memon into its custody from the Sindh High Court’s main building after the court dismissed a plea seeking extension in bail in a corruption reference.
Sharjeel Memon, flanked by his supporters party loyalists and lawyers, took at least five hours to come out of the court premises as his lawyers advised him to surrender to the NAB team.
Sharjeel Memon, who had returned to Pakistan in March 2017, is facing several charges of misappropriation and corruption relating to the period when he was the Sindh Information Minister.
Memon, along with suspects, has been accused of corruption worth Rs5.76 billion in the award of advertisements of the Sindh government’s awareness campaigns in the electronic media.
It was alleged that advertising agencies suppressed invoices issued by the media and showed much higher amounts, while as per settled practice, advertising agencies were entitled to get only 15 percent agency commission against the total bill.
The reference filed by National Accountability Bureau said that Evernew Concepts (Pvt) Ltd was paid Rs4,154,585,676, Orient Communication Rs320,062,994, Adarts Karachi Rs317,338,970, Connect Marketing Rs310,474,132, Value Added Marketing Rs205,827,587, Xnine Communications Rs374,546,739 and Insync Advertisement was paid Rs83, 643,668.
