SUKKUR: Sukkur sessions court on Monday reserved the decision on whether it or the accountability court was to record statements of witnesses in National Accountability Bureau’s reference against PPP leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah.

NAB Sukkur officials produced five witnesses in the sessions court before submission of final challan against Shah in the case about accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

The bureau’s investigating officer wanted the court to record the witnesses’ statements about purchase and sale of land and other properties by Shah but his counsel Mukesh Kumar Karira and Ali Hyder raised objections and alleged that NAB was trying to make the reference linger on by producing what they called bogus witnesses.

They argued that if these witnesses were to be produced in the sessions court then who would be presented as witnesses before the accountability court which was originally hearing the case against Shah. They said that their client had been a victim of vengeful treatment.

NAB prosecutor Mohammad Zubair told the court that since the witnesses feared for their lives they wanted to have their statements recorded before a magistrate prior to recording the statements before trial court.

Judge Abdul Latif Dahani heard arguments of both sides and reserved the decision to Tuesday on whether the sessions court would record the witnesses’ statements or not.

The witnesses were brought to the court amid tight security and were provided complete security on their return as well.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2020