KARACHI, Jan 4: A division bench of Sindh High Court on Friday put the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) through its deputy prosecutor general on notice for Jan 11 on a criminal application filed by an industrialist Mian Munir Ahmed seeking bail on medical grounds.

The bench, comprising Justice S Ahmed Sarwana and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani, was hearing a criminal miscellaneous application filed by chief executive and one of the directors of Central Cotton Mills Limited Mian Munir Ahmed who was convicted by an Accountability Court (AC-IV) Karachi on charges of wilful bank loan default.

On March 2, Judge Muhammad Javed Alam of trial court awarded him eight years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed fine of Rs150 million on charges of corruption and corrupt practices.

The High Court earlier admitted his appeal against conviction for regular hearing and fixed Jan 22 for the next date of hearing.

Appellant’s counsel Barrister Aitazaz Ahsan moved two criminal applications on behalf of the appellant.

When hearing began on Friday, the appellant’s counsel submitted that after calculating sentence already undergone by his client and remission granted by concerned authorities from time to time under prison rules, the appellant had served his entire substantive sentence.

He further submitted that Mian Munir Ahmed is an old cardiac patient who is grievously ill and is in need of constant attention by an expert cardiologist and also the prison authorities have record of his recent medical examination.

He prayed to the court that sentence and conviction may be suspended and he may be released on bail till final disposal of his appeal against conviction.

HEARING PUT OFF: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Friday put off till January 8 the hearing of a bail application filed by the Superintendent Preventive Service (SPS) of Pakistan Customs, Firoz Ahmed, allegedly involved in removing/theft of 1087 kilograms of silver from the Customs Warehouse-I Karachi.