Moonis Elahi cleared of proclaimed offender status

FIA concedes before court that process was illegal

LAHORE:

A special court in Lahore on Saturday ruled the process of declaring former federal minister Moonis Elahi, son of ex-Punjab chief minister and PTI president Parvez Elahi, as a proclaimed offender in the money laundering case against him as null and void.

A judicial magistrate had declared Moonis a proclaimed offender last month over his failure to appear in the court in connection with the money laundering case filed against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

On Saturday, the special court heard the money laundering case against the former Punjab chief minister and other suspects.

The FIA acknowledged before the court that declaring Parvez’s co-accused as proclaimed offenders was an illegal action.

The court annulled the process of declaring Moonis as a proclaimed offender and directed the FIA to present a report at the next hearing on the implementation of the summons issued to the suspects in the case.

The prosecutor said that two suspects were declared proclaimed offenders and their addresses had been submitted to the court.

He added that a subordinate court had issued arrest warrants for the two suspects.

The prosecutor continued that the foreign addresses of the suspects who had fled abroad had been presented.

He requested the court to issue notices for them.

The judge inquired that what was the role of the subordinate court in the case.

He added that the challans were being submitted to him after having the suspects declared proclaimed offenders by the subordinate court.

The judge observed that neither the notices were served to the suspects, nor their arrest warrants issued.

He continued that the challans against the suspects had been brought to his court after having them declared proclaimed offenders.

The judge pointed out that Moonis was declared a proclaimed offender through an illegal process.

He told the prosecutor that the only issue they were concerned about was sending the ex-Punjab chief minister to Rawalpindi so he could hold a news conference there.

The judge inquired that was the process through which the suspects were declared as proclaimed offenders explainable.

The prosecutor conceded that the manner in which the FIA had Moonis declared a proclaimed offender was not legal.

The judge asked the prosecutor what he would suggest should be done with the FIA officials.

The prosecutor replied that he would suggest the court to show them mercy.

The judge inquired from the DSP legal that Parvez was approved to be presented before the court but that did not happen.

He asked the police official what was the reason for not presenting the former Punjab chief minister before the court.

The DSP legal replied that Parvez was to be presented before the court by the jail authorities, not by the police.

The judge noted that whoever came to his court was lying and he would issue an appropriate order on this whole process.

Last year, the FIA registered a money laundering case against Moonis and others in a case pertaining to his alleged involvement in a scam to the tune of Rs720 million.