The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday accepted People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah’s bail plea in the “assets beyond known sources of income case.”
The apex court directed him to submit surety bonds worth Rs10 million against his bail.
Justice Umar Atta Bandial directed NAB to continue its investigations but not keep the PPP leader permanently in jail.
Khursheed Shah was arrested by the anti-corruption watchdog’s Sukkur chapter on September 18, 2019, in the assets case.
In July 2021, the Sindh High Court had dismissed his petition seeking bail.
The NAB had arrested Khursheed Shah, who according to the watchdog, acquired assets worth some Rs700 million on names of his frontmen through ill-gotten money.
NAB’s top officials probing the matter claimed to acquire several important records/files from Sukkur district administration, where revenue officers shared important details, which led ultimately to his arrest.
“We have acquired details of all assets and property on Mr Shah, his family’s names and his front-men,” a senior NAB official had said.
He had claimed that NAB team got access to documents, which revealed that Shah through his friend acquired New Taj Hotel, Shikarpur Road, Sukkur, worth Rs250 million.
A petrol pump worth Rs90 million at Rohri Road in the name of Qasim Shah (benamidar/frontman), another NAB official claimed.
A bungalow in the name of Pappu Mahar (benamidar/frontman) on government land was also allegedly built by Khursheed Shah through kickbacks, revealed a senior NAB official.
A hotel named Gulf Hotel was also constructed by the PPP stalwart in Rohri in the name of (benamidar/frontman) where money was arranged through kickbacks by the local contractors, the official added on condition of anonymity.
NAB officials claimed that Khursheed Shah as MNA also misused his authority and got huge contracts for his partners and agents including M/s Umar Jan and Co, Nawab and Co, etc., in interior Sindh where millions of rupees were embezzled.
The NAB is also probing Khursheed’s properties, which were located in Sukkur, Rohri and Karachi, NAB officials revealed.
Mukesh Flour Mills, Glamour Bungalow, Junejo Flour Mills and 83 other properties are registered against the names of Shah’s alleged frontman, Pehlaj Rai, they added.
Officials claimed that some 11 properties were registered in the name of another frontman, Lado Mal, and 10 properties are registered in the name of Hussain Soomro.
