Court grants Elahi pre-arrest bail

Anti-graft court directs former Punjab CM to join investigation

LAHORE:

An anti-corruption court on Friday granted pre-arrest bail to former chief minister Punjab and Pakitan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and prevented the concerned quarters from arresting him until May 17.

Elahi is accused of involvement in corruption of Rs125 million.

The first information report (FIR) filed in the case names Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi and his principal secretary Mohammad Khan Bhatti among others for having allegedly received kickbacks worth Rs125 million through Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) from a foreign company against a payable amount.

Out of the total amount, Elahi is accused of having taken a bribe worth Rs6.5 million while the remainder was supposedly distributed amongst other parties.

Further, Anti-Corruption Establishment Punjab claimed to have registered an FIR against the accused persons based on substantial evidence.

On Friday however, as the former CM appeared before the anti-corruption court, his counsel maintained that the allegations were false.

He argued that the case was registered with the intention of "humiliating" Elahi and was politically motivated.

"The FIR’s narration is a concocted story," he argued stressing that the PTI leader had "nothing to do with this case."

Subsequently, the judge granted Elahi pre-arrest bail but nonetheless directed him to join the investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2023.