Ephedrine case: SHC grants protective bail to Ali Musa Gilani

Entire case framed to malign my family, says former premier’s son.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) granted a two-week protective bail to Ali Musa Gilani, son of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, in the Ephedrine export quota case on Monday.

Ali Musa, accompanied by his counsel Shazia Hinjra, appeared before Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, seeking a bail.

In his plea, Ali Musa maintained that he was being sought by officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), while they did not have any substantial evidence to prove his involvement in the case.

“The entire scandal is an effort to malign my family and father on political grounds,” he added. He also emphasised that he had been fully cooperating with the investigation authorities in the case.

Later, while talking to reporters outside the court, Ali Musa said that he and his father had always respected the courts, pointing out that his father had appeared before the Supreme Court (SC) thrice.

“However, he was still disqualified by the SC,” he lamented.

However, Ali Musa expressed confidence in the courts, expressing optimism that he will be vindicated from all the charges filed against him.

On June 21, Magistrate Shafqatullah Khan had issued warrants for the arrest of Gilani and former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin in the case.

Ali Musa is accused of pressuring officials of the federal health ministry for the allocation of export quotas for Ephedrine to two pharmaceutical companies, based in Islamabad and Multan.

The case of the illegal Ephedrine sale was registered on October 10 last year, after the two companies were accused of obtaining export quotas for the drug, in collusion with the health ministry officials that exceeded the limits fixed by the International Narcotics Control Board.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2012.