Zardari’s close aide gets bail on medical grounds, name to be put on ECL

ISLAMABAD : The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to Omni Group owner Anwar Majeed, said to be former president Asif Ali Zardari’s close aide, in the multi-billion fake bank account scam on medical grounds. An apex court bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam directed the authorities concerned to add his name to the Exit Control List (ECL). The accused is required to furnish surety bonds worth Rs100 million along with his passport to the SC registrar to secure the bail. It directed Anwar Majeed to cooperate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in its probe into the graft cases filed against him. He is one of the key accused in over a dozen cases related to the fake bank accounts scam. During the hearing, Justice Mushir Alam stressed the need for dispelling the impression that the national graft buster’s attitude towards political figures is different. A NAB prosecutor complained to the judges that Anwar Majeed has been in hospital from day one and never appeared before the bureau, adding 15 investigations and four references are suffering delays due to his non-cooperation. At the previous hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer had stated before the bench that the Sindh High Court in a ruling observed that the country’s laws don’t provide for allowing an under-trial or convicted prisoner to go abroad for treatment. He said Anwar Majeed needs to undergo a medical procedure that is possible only abroad and requested the bench to grant him bail so that he could travel abroad for treatment.