LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Wednesday took Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Ch. Parvez Elahi into custody from jail premises just to produce him before a Lahore sessions court where they sought his 14-day physical remand in a money laundering case registered just a day before.
Elahi had secured bail from a Lahore anti-corruption court Tuesday but he was not released as his release orders were not delivered to the prison authorities. The same day, the FIA booked Chaudhary, his son Moonis Elahi and three others for alleged money laundering through a front man. Today, the FIA took Elahi into custody from the jail premises and later presented him in the sessions court.
Judicial magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk presided over Wednesday’s hearing where the FIA sought 14-day physical remand of Ch. Pervez Elahi.
The counsel representing the FIA argued that there was “solid evidence” against the PTI president and that his physical remand was needed to complete the investigation. The investigative officer also said the same.
Elahi’s counsel, Rana Intizar said an inquiry had already been conducted in the same case in which his client was arrested today. “Cases are filed to make Parvez Elahi a target of political vendetta, “ he argued. The lawyer then requested the court discharge his client from the case.
During the hearing, Pervez Elahi requested the court to let him speak. He told the court that he was not being provided with facilities in the jail. “Insects crawl on the floor. No facility is being provided. I was wearing the same clothes at a previous hearing and am wearing the same suit today as well,” he lamented.
Elahi further said the FIA was not adhering to the court’s order and asked for a contempt of court to be filed against them.
Subsequently, the judicial magistrate reserved his verdict on the FIA’s request seeking Elahi’s physical remand.
Son seeks Pervez Elahi’s protective bail
Meanwhile, Ch. Pervez Elahi’s son, Rasikh Elahi, filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking details of all cases against his father as well as a protective bail. Rasikh has made the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), the FIA, Punjab’s caretaker government, Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar, the deputy inspector general and the capital city police officer respondents in the petition.
The plea asked the court to direct the respondents to “produce all the details of criminal cases/FIRs registered against the petitioner’s father which have not been disclosed by the respondents”.
