Siraj Durrani, others to be charged in corruption case on March 18.

Byline: Naeem Sahoutara

KARACHI -- An accountability court has fixed March 18 to frame amended charges against Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and 18 others in a reference pertaining to alleged unlawful accumulation of assets worth Rs1.61 billion.

Mr Durrani, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was detained in February 2019 during investigation into his alleged movable and immovable assets beyond his known sources of income, making 352 illegal appointments, embezzlement of public money in the construction of the MPA Hostel and the new Sindh Assembly building as well as appointment of project directors for these schemes.

NAB had named Mr Durrani, his spouse, children, brother and others for allegedly possessing assets worth around Rs1.61bn made through illegal means.

IO asked to file report in Zain Effendi case

On Wednesday, when the matter came up before Judge Dr Sher Bano Karim of the Accountability Court-III, an absconding suspect Mohammad Irfan surrendered after obtaining bail from the Sindh High Court and asked the court to allow him to join the trial.

Allowing the request, the judge fixed the matter for March 18 to frame amended charges against all the suspects.

Earlier, the court had indicted Mr Durrani, his family members and others in the present case on Nov 30, 2019.

IO told to file reference in Malir graft case

In the meanwhile, the Accountability Court-I Judge Abdul Ghani Soomro granted one-week time to the NAB investigating officer for filing a reference against two detained chairmen of the district municipal corporation of Malir in a graft case.

In October last year, NAB detained Manzoor Hussain Abbasi and Rehmatullah over their alleged involvement in embezzlement/misappropriation of funds between 2013 to 2017.

Zain Effendi case

A local court on Tuesday directed the IO to submit an investigation report in a case pertaining to alleged murder of Zain Hasan Ali Effendi inside his Cosmopolitan Society house.

Initially, police booked five unidentified men over killing of 50-year-old Effendi, great-grandson of founder of the Sindh Madressatul Islam Hassan Ali Effendi and maternal cousin of former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari.

Later, some four suspects - Rehmatullah, Imran, Mohammad Gul and Faizan - were taken into custody over their alleged involvement in the murder.

On Tuesday, the IO of the case appeared before the judicial magistrate (East) concerned and filed an investigation report.

However, the...