LAHORE: A special court for anti-corruption on Wednesday once again delayed the indictment of the suspects in a case of alleged illegal appointments made in the Punjab Assembly due to absence of former chief minister Parvez Elahi.

At the outset of the hearing, Judge Sardar Iqbal Dogar inquired about the absence of Mr Elahi.

A defence lawyer stated that Mr Elahi had appeared in different courts the other day, which caused pain in his knee and doctors advised him to avoid walking.

The judge expressed his concern, stating that at each hearing one of the suspects is found to be absent causing a delay in the framing of the charges.

A public prosecutor alleged that these were delaying tactics, with medical excuses being presented at every hearing.

The judge granted a one-time exemption from personal appearance to Mr Elahi with a direction to the defence to ensure his presence at the next hearing for the indictment.

The judge adjourned the hearing till Jan 21.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) alleged that illegal appointments of BS-17 posts were made in the assembly when Mr Elahi was the chief minister and co-suspect Muhammad Khan Bhatti was his principal secretary in 2021.

The prosecution said favourite candidates were appointed to the posts despite being declared failed in the written examination. The appointed candidates had also been nominated as suspects in the case.

The indictment of Mr Elahi in different cases has been delayed by the relevant courts for several months due to his continuous absence in the trial hearings on medical grounds before and after his release on bail as well.

The other day, an accountability court indicted Mr Elahi in a NAB reference of receiving kickbacks in development funds after a delay of several months.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2025