Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi was immediately re-arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team after his release from Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail and was transferred to Lahore on charges of allegedly receiving bribes for development project contracts.
As Elahi exited the prison, a NAB team from Rawalpindi and Lahore took him into custody once again.
The NAB prosecutors presented Elahi in a Rawalpindi sessions court, where they sought a two-day transitory remand to transfer him to Lahore. However, the court granted only a one-day transitory remand and required the NAB to present Elahi before the relevant court under safe custody by the next day.
The court order revealed that an arrest warrant had been issued for Elahi in connection to the inquiry on August 11.
However, Elahi's lawyer has criticised his latest arrest as politically motivated and has stated that they will challenge it in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
The arrest follows Elahi's initial detainment on June 1 for his alleged involvement in a graft case worth Rs70 million related to the misappropriation of development funds in the Gujrat district.
Over the past two and a half months, Elahi has been released multiple times on court orders only to be rearrested immediately after. In mid-July, he was released from Lahore's Camp Jail but was then detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance for 30 days.
A video shared by the PTI prior to his re-arrest shows Elahi stating, "If they are gaining happiness in this manner (by arresting me), then let them."
The case
Elahi is among the co-accused in a bribery case involving the awarding of road contracts in the Gujrat Highways Division.
Other individuals implicated in the case include Elahi's son Moonis Elahi, Mahr Azmat Hayat, and others.
The allegations assert that Elahi and Moonis received kickbacks from Azmat, both directly and through their accountant Imtiaz Ali Shah.
The co-accused are accused of causing significant financial losses to the government while committing acts of corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9(a) of the NAB ordinance, 1999.
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