Assets beyond income: Case against Agha Siraj adjourned till Sep 4

KARACHI (92 News) – An accountability court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing against Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani till September 4 in the assets beyond income case. Agha Siraj Durrani and other accused were produced before accountability court in hearing of assets case. The judge expressed anger over the absence of investigation officer, remarking that how this case will run? NAB prosecutor told the court that the investigation officer was attending hearing of another case in the high court. The judge ordered the NAB to submit progress report of the case today and adjourned the case hearing till September 4. On July 9, a bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed a petition seeking suspension of arrest warrants for Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani.

During the hearing, the National Accountability Court (NAB) prosecutor told the court that 35 vehicles and worth of billion rupees properties of Agha Siraj Durrani had been traced. He also has apprised that he is serving in the jail and his family has been fled to abroad.

Justice Iqbal Kalhoro rejected plea seeking suspension of arrest warrants for Agha Siraj, remarking that how can the court suspend arrest warrant when it is already implemented. Agha Siraj Durrani counsel pleaded the court for hearing bail petition of his client. Justice Kalhoro replied that an immediate hearing of the bail plea is impossible due to summer vacations of the court. The bench summoned arguments over the petition in the hearing on August 7. On July 1, an accountability court has accepted the reference against Sindh Speaker Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani in assets beyond income case. On May 15, the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) executive board had approved 12 new inquiries and gave the go-ahead to filing of a reference against Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in an assets beyond means case. The executive board meeting was held under the chair by NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal. The anti-graft watchdog also approved filing of references against PPP senator Rubina Khalid and Mazharul Islam, according to a statement. It approved 12 inquiries against Akram Durrani, Sher Azam, Ghulam Nizamani and others. The bureau approved filing of a reference against the erstwhile Fata’s education director Afzal Manan over alleged illegal appointment of teachers. The NAB chairman also approved a reference against the Sindh Assembly speaker. The corruption watchdog body said that Agha Durrani allegedly misused his powers and accumulated assets, causing a loss of more than Rs1 billion to the national exchequer. The NAB chairman directed the bureau’s officers to take corruption cases to their logical conclusion on a priority basis as per the laws. Earlier, the NAB Karachi had arrested Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani from a hotel in Islamabad in February this year.