LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday sent Jang group editor-in-chief Mir Shakilur Rehman to jail on judicial remand as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) did not seek his further custody in a 34-year-old case of 54-kanal land allegedly allotted to him by then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif.

At the outset of the remand hearing, NAB Special Prosecutor Asim Mumtaz told the court that the suspect could not be brought for the hearing as he was admitted to a private hospital owing to bad health. He also submitted a medical certificate of the hospital to the court.

The prosecutor asked the court to send the suspect on judicial remand as the bureau did not need him anymore for investigation.

However, Presiding Judge Jawadul Hassan expressed displeasure over the bureau for not presenting the suspect before the court and also refused to entertain the medical certificate of a private hospital.

Later, the NAB brought the suspect to the court in an ambulance from the hospital.

The prosecutor requested the court to permit the suspect to stay at the hospital during the judicial remand.

The judge turned down the request and observed that the NAB itself had the power to keep an under-trial prisoner at hospital. “Don’t try to use shoulder of the court for all your things,” the judge cautioned the NAB investigating officer.

Judge Hassan entrusted the custody of the suspect to superintendent of district jail with direction to produce him on May 12 without fail.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2020