KARACHI, Sept 1: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffery and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro, rejected on Saturday the bail application of a former customs collector, Mohammad Nawaz Butt, in all the five references filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau, Sindh.
The defence counsel said his client had been facing investigations against him since 1993, adding that he could not receive the notice of the Supreme Court.
He said the accused was suffering from a cardiac problem, and prayed for his bail on health grounds.
Deputy Prosecutor General Brig (retd) Shafaat Nabi Khan Sherwani on behalf of the NAB opposed the bail plea and argued that the investigation against the accused had been initiated in 1993 which led to the filing of the cases against him in the Customs Court.
He said the accused had obtained bail from the Sindh High Court and gone to the United States, but in his absence the Supreme Court, declaring the high court’s decision null and void, had transferred the case to the trial court for further proceedings.
Mr Sherwani further said that the court had already issued his non-bailable warrants and the NAB arrested him when he appeared in the high court on July 3, 2007 as at that time the cases had been transferred from the customs court to the national accountability courts.
