LAHORE: Supermodel Ayyan Ali's lawyer on Friday in a hearing at Lahore High Court (LHC) put forth the model's request for 'Category B' VIP status at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

Ali's counsel Sardar Latif Khan Khosa maintained the model's requirements were not being met in her current lodgings at Adiala.

Justice Abdul Sami Khan also took up an appeal by Ayyan Ali challenging proceedings before a Special Customs Courts, Rawalpindi, on money laundering charges against her and the dismissal of bail petition.

Sardar Latif Khosa pleaded before the court that his client had no knowledge of the laws regarding money laundering. Khosa said the case registered against the model is false and baseless, as she was being subject to political action and victimisation. The defence lawyer also stated that the investigation of the case has yet to be completed.

LHC Justice Abdul Sami Khan ordered jail officials to submit a report on the matter.

The court accepted the bail plea for hearing, advising the supermodel's counsel to file the plea under Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (when bail may be taken in cases of non-bailable offence). The court sought a reply from customs officials on June 26.

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'Category B' inmates at Adiala Jail ─ notorious for housing terrorists and high profile criminals among its 4,500 inmates ─ enjoy a room of their own, a helper who cleans and fetches their food, and a charpoy to sleep on. All inmates at the jail are allowed to send for food from outside the jail.

The model earlier in March requested her detention status be upgraded to 'Category B' VIP, but customs officials rejected her plea claiming that since Ayyan is currently detained on judicial remand in a case of money-laundering, she does not merit a class B inmate status.

However, since then, customs officials and Ayyan's counsel maintain the supermodel has been detained on charges of currency smuggling, not money-laundering ─ "because it was her own wealth and not ill-gotten monies that she was trying to carry out of the country," according to Khurram Latif Khosa earlier in May.

During an April hearing at a Rawalpindi district and sessions court, Ayyan complained about the facilities available to her at Adiala Jail in response to Judge Bahadur Ali's question, saying she had contracted seasonal allergies but treatment and medicines were not accessible to her at the jail. The court had ordered jail administration to ensure better provision of medicines and treatment to Ayyan.

Also in April, three under-trial prisoners (UTP) were assigned the same barrack in Adiala Jail as the supermodel Ayyan Ali allegedly to protect her against other prisoners and even herself after prison department officials began to fear threats to the model's life.

A senior official of the prison department, requesting anonymity, told Dawn in April that because Ms Ali’s is a high profile case which has received a lot of negative media attention, there may be serious threats to the life of the prisoner.

He said that Ms Ali appears to be distressed and jail authorities fear she may even attempt suicide.

“We want to safeguard her life until the conclusion of the case. To reduce her isolation and ensure her safety, jail authorities had been asked to beef up security around her and provide her with women companions,” he said.

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On Thursday, Ayyan's bail plea was fixed for hearing before Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa. However, the model’s counsel Sardar Latif Khan Khosa asked the judge to refer the appeal to the chief justice for its hearing before an appellate bench designated for customs related cases.

He said since Justice Abdul Sami Khan was member of the appellate bench for customs cases, the instant appeal should be fixed before him.

Justice Bajwa accepted the request and sent the appeal to the CJ for its fixing before the bench concerned the same day.

Ayyan was arrested by customs officials on March 14 from Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad after $508,000 were recovered from her possession.

She was arrested for violation of Section 2(s) of the Customs Act 1969 which is a ‘predicate offence’ under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010.

The offence is non-bailable and non-cognisable.

Read more: Currency smuggling case: Ayyan sent on judicial remand for twelfth time