Khursheed Shah’s son surrenders to NAB on SC orders

Published June 13, 2021
MPA Farrukh Shah being taken into custody outside court in Sukkur on Saturday.—PPI
MPA Farrukh Shah being taken into custody outside court in Sukkur on Saturday.—PPI

SUKKUR: Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah’s son MPA Syed Farrukh Shah surrendered before accountability court on the orders of Supreme Court on Saturday and was subsequently arrested by National Accountability Bureau on the court premises.

Farrukh Shah is one of the 18 accused in a corruption reference filed against his father by National Accountability Bureau on Sept 19, 2019, on charges of accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income. Khursheed Shah, being the major accused, the remaining 17 co-accused include his two wives, two sons, two nephews, contractors and alleged frontmen.

The court heard counsel of the accused and the NAB prosecutor but upheld the Supreme Court orders by ordering arrest of the MPA, who was then shifted to NAB’s office. The bureau said it would seek 15-day physical remand of the accused when he would be produced in the accountability court on Monday.

Farrukh Shah had recently filed an application in the Supreme Court requesting for pre-arrest bail in the ongoing probe. The application was later withdrawn and the apex court ordered the accused to surrender to the Sukkur accountability court within three days.

Barrister Shabbir Shah, counsel for the accused, argued that even if the Supreme Court and high court rejected a bail the court concerned had powers to grant bail. The NAB had completed investigation a year ago and now the case’s trial was under way, he said.

He said the Supreme Court had directed his client to appear before the accountability court and ordered him to surrender to the court.

NAB prosecutor Malik Zubair argued that in the light of the Supreme Court orders the bureau be granted permission to arrest the accused as the investigators had high hopes they would be able find clues to ill-gotten money and assets during the course of investigation.

Shabbir Shah contended that NAB officials were present in the Supreme Court but it did not order to hand over his client to NAB and just asked him to cooperate with NAB.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Successful summit
Updated 17 Oct, 2024

Successful summit

Platforms like SCO present an opportunity for states to set aside narrow differences.
Failed tax target
17 Oct, 2024

Failed tax target

THE government’s plan to document retailers for tax purposes through its ‘voluntary’ Tajir Dost Scheme appears...
More questions
17 Oct, 2024

More questions

THE alleged rape of a student at a private college in Lahore has sparked confusion, social media campaigns, ...
Two steps back
Updated 16 Oct, 2024

Two steps back

Instead of treating polio as a stand-alone emergency, it should be incorporated into a broader public health strategy.
Defunding varsities
16 Oct, 2024

Defunding varsities

IF a plan — apparently conjured up by foreign lenders — to defund public varsities goes ahead, tens of thousands...
Protecting children
16 Oct, 2024

Protecting children

THIS country’s children make the news for unfortunate reasons. At the core of their plight is the state’s...