Ephedrine scam: ANF to investigate former PM Gilani

Gilani transferred secretary of Narcotics Control Ministry, posted him as DG-FIA for 'special tasks'.

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has decided to investigate former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the Ephedrine quota scam over charges of illegally posting a former secretary of narcotics ministry as the acting Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Express News reported Thursday.

Express News quoted sources as saying that Gilani had transferred the secretary of the Ministry of Narcotics Control, Zafar Abbas Lak, and posted him as DG-FIA for “special tasks”.

The sources said that Lak was promoted from a Grade-21 post to a Grade-22 post within a few hours. He had oversight in the investigations of MNA Ali Musa Gilani in connection with the Ephedrine case.

The ANF nominated Lak as an accused in the case and acquired permission for his arrest from the trial court hearing the case today. It also sought minutes of the meeting and copies of decisions taken during Lak’s posting from the Establish Dvision.

PML-N MNA granted pre-arrest bail

In a separate case, the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court granted an interim pre-arrest bail to Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Hanif Abbasi for his involvement in misusing 500kgs of ephedrine allotted to his company, Gray Pharmaceutical.

Abbasi submitted surety bonds of Rs100,000 each to the court. The bail is valid till September 12, 2012.

During the hearing, the ANF representatives informed the court that Abbasi’s company did not have any record of where the drug quota was used.

Justice Mahmood Maqobool Bajwa and Justice Ali Baqir Najafi were hearing the case.