Money-laundering; Customs Intelligence gets time to file reply

LAHORE:

Justice Abdul Sami of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday granted time to Customs Intelligence officials for filing a reply in a money-laundering case against model Ayan Ali. The court then put off the hearing on her bail application until June 29.

A Customs official told the court the department needed time to present evidence against Ali. The court accepted the request and ordered him to submit a reply until Monday.

Her counsel Sardar Latif Khosa said the Customs Intelligence was delaying the matter. Ali has challenged money-laundering proceedings against her before a Special Customs Courts, Rawalpindi, and dismissal of her bail petition.

Khosa told the court Ali had been implicated in a false case.

He said the model had not received her boarding card and there was no exit stamp on her passport when she was arrested. He requested the court to stay proceedings against her before the customs court and grant her bail.

Customs officials had arrested Ali on March 14 from Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad and claimed to have recovered $506,800 from her luggage. She had wanted to go to Dubai.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2015.