Sharjeel Memon arrested in compliance with court orders: NAB chairman

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal on Thursday said PPP leader Shajeel Memon was arrested in compliance with orders issued from an accountability court in Karachi.

In a statement released by the accountability body, the chairman NAB said there was no injustice in Memon's arrest and added that accountability would be carried out in accordance with the law and without any discrimination.

Iqbal further added that Memon's case is being heard in the court of law and the warrants for the arrest were authorised by the same court. 

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said the arrest of Memon tarnished the image of NAB. 

The veteran Pakistan Peoples Party member and opposition leader, while criticising the arrest, said that those who have non-bailable arrest warrants get bail within an hour.

Sharjeel Memon, others sent to jail till Nov 4 in Rs5.7bn corruption case

Former Sindh information minister was arrested on Monday along with 11 other suspects after bail dismissal in Rs5.7bn corruption case

On Monday, after being holed up for hours in the Sindh High Court following his bail dismissal in a corruption case. Memon was taken into custody by the NAB along with the other suspects.

The former minister was escorted from the court premises by Rangers and NAB personnel and was surrounded by his lawyers and other supporters. As he was leaving the court, resistance was offered by his supporters leading to an exchange of hot words with NAB officials.

Eleven other accused in the case were also arrested by the bureau. 

"The accused persons are charged for embezzlement of Rs. 5,766,479,766 purportedly paid to seven advertising agencies for awareness campaigns between 2013 and 2015," said a press release by NAB.

Memon was attempting to avoid being arrested by NAB after the cancellation of his bail extension plea by the Sindh High court earlier on Monday.

The case

The suspects are accused of corruption worth Rs5.76 billion in the award of advertisements of the Sindh government’s awareness campaigns in the electronic media.

Memon, who returned to Pakistan in March this year after ending his near two-year-long self-imposed exile, was arrested on his arrival by NAB but later obtained bail.

The other accused in the case include bureaucrats, officials of the information department and members of private advertising agencies.

Memon claims the charges against him are politically motivated.