KARACHI, June 5: A division bench of Sindh High Court comprising Justice S.A. Sarwana and Justice Mujeebullah Siddiqui, on Wednesday, granted bail to Najma Turabi, wife of Iqbal Turabi, a former manager of Pakistan State Oil, against a surety of Rs500,000.

The appellant/accused was convicted by an accountability court in reference 39-2001. The trial court sentenced her to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs95 million. In case of default, she was ordered to undergo further imprisonment of 30 months.

According to the prosecution, Iqbal Ahmed Turabi, husband of the appellant/accused, accumulated wealth beyond his known sources of income and bought properties in the name of the accused, Najma Turabi.

The accused/applicant filed an appeal against her conviction and sentence.

When the appeal came up for hearing, Barrister Azizullah K. Shaikh, counsel for the appellant, submitted that the offices in posh Zamzama, DHA, are not owned by the accused/appellant.

She also disowned her signatures on the sale deed in respect of these two offices. Barrister Azizullah Shaikh also raised the ground of consistency as two other convicted accused in the case have been admitted to bail.

The counsel for Regional Accountability Bureau opposed the concession of bail to the appellant.

The court, after hearing both the sides, admitted the appellant to bail against a solvent surety of Rs500,000.

Another SHC bench comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Musheer Alam dismissed a custom appeal filed by Batala Ghee Mills against imposition of custom duty on imported oil at a rate of six per cent.

The counsel for appellant submitted that 3 per cent custom duty is leviable in case of inedible oil, while a custom duty of six per cent is imposed on edible oil.

The appellant claimed that he was charged three per cent more which is illegal.

The bench, after hearing the counsel for Collector Custom, Afzal Bhatti, dismissed the appeal.—APP