LAHORE: A special court for banking offences on Thursday issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a post-arrest bail petition of former chief minister Parvez Elahi in a money laundering case while confirmed the interim pre-arrest bail of his son and two daughters-in-law.

Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn appeared on behalf of Elahi and argued that the FIA arrested his client in a case which was already quashed by the Lahore High Court.

He said the FIA had no evidence against the former chief minister but arrested him purely on political grounds. He pointed out that the NAB had also closed an inquiry with similar charges against the petitioner.

He asked the court to release the petitioner on bail.

Interim bail of his son, two daughters-in-law confirmed

The court directed the FIA to submit its reply to the bail petition by June 24.

The court also confirmed the interim pre-arrest bail petitions of Parvez Elahi’s son Rasikh Elahi, his wife Zara Elahi and Moonis’ wife Tehreem Elahi in the money laundering case.

The court directed them to furnish bail bonds of Rs1 million each.

The FIA told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that the son and the daughters-in-law of the former chief minister committed money laundering through a low cadre employee of the Punjab Assembly.

A report submitted by the FIA alleged that Rasikh Elahi, his wife Zara Elahi and sister-in-law Tehreem Elahi used the bank accounts of Qaiser Iqbal Bhatti, a peon of the assembly, to launder money.

It said unexplained transactions of millions of rupees had been traced in the accounts of the peon and the children of Parvez Elahi. It alleged that the assets of the peon had been found beyond his known sources of income.

The FIA said the inquiry in question had no relation with any previous probe as it had been initiated against a government servant, the assembly’s peon.

DISPOSED OF: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday disposed of a post-arrest bail petition of PTI Senator Ijaz Chaudhry in the Askari Tower attack case.

A counsel for the senator told the court that his client wanted to withdraw the bail petition. At this, the court disposed of the petition as withdrawn.

The senator is on judicial remand.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2023