Money laundering: Customs reply sought in plea against indictment

LAHORE:

A customs appellate tribunal of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought reply from the Customs Department in an appeal filed by model Ayan Ali’s counsel against her indictment in the money laundering case.Earlier, Advocate Khurram Latif Khosa submitted that the trial court had framed charges against his client without hearing her application against the prosecution. He complained about unfair treatment by the trial court. He alleged that some of the documents submitted by the prosecution in the trial court were fabricated.On completion of defence counsel’s arguments, Justice Abdul Sami Khan directed the Custom Department to respond to the charges and adjourned the hearing till December 22. Customs officials had seized $508,000 from Ayan Ali’s possession and taken her into custody from Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad, on March 14. Later, the model had been released on bail by a high court.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2015.