The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday arrested Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in a case pertaining to owning assets beyond known sources of income and alleged corruption, after Durrani surrendered on the Supreme Court's orders.

DawnNews TV footage showed Durrani being escorted by NAB officials outside the Supreme Court building in Islamabad after a hearing of his case.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) had in October rejected a pre-arrest bail plea of Durrani and he subsequently approached the Supreme Court to seek relief.

NAB could not arrest him soon after the dismissal of his bail petition as his lawyer had claimed that he was in the federal capital to challenge the SHC order in the apex court.

In the hearing of his case today, Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the petitioner to surrender before the respondent (NAB) and then pursue his case before the top court. Justice Bandial said the case will then be taken up after a week.

Last month, an accountability court in Karachi had reissued warrants for the arrest of Durrani and 10 co-accused in a NAB reference pertaining to his Rs1.61 billion assets and alleged corruption.

On February 20, 2019, Durrani was arrested by NAB at an Islamabad hotel for an investigation into his movable and immovable assets allegedly acquired beyond his known sources of income, making 352 illegal appointments and embezzlement of public funds in the construction of the MPAs’ Hostel and the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as the appointment of project directors for these schemes.

Besides Durrani, his wife, children, brother and some associates have been nominated in the reference as well.

The NAB had approved an inquiry against Durrani in July 2018 over various allegations of corruption.

NAB’s regional board had sanctioned three separate inquiries against the PPP leader: the first inquiry pertained to an allegation of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by Durrani; the second related to 352 illegal appointments made by him; and the third pertained to embezzlement of funds for the construction of the MPA Hostel and construction of the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as in the appointment of project directors for the said projects.