Money laundering: LHC to hear Ayyan’s bail plea today

LAHORE:

A division bench of Lahore High Court will take up model Ayyan’s bail plea on Thursday. Her application was previously dismissed by a single bench of the LHC.

The LHC registrar’s office had objected to the petition saying under Section 497 of the Criminal Code of Procedure, a bail application could not be filed a second time, as the petitioner had already availed the remedy before a single bench.

While presenting arguments before Justice Abdul Sami Khan, counsel for Ayyan said that the single bench had entertained her plea as an appellate customs tribunal, not as a bench of the LHC. He said, therefore, her bail application against the tribunal’s decision could be heard by a division bench of the LHC. Justice Khan took up the petition as an “objection case” and allowed Advocate Sardar Khurram Latif Khosa to argue on the model’s behalf.

He also directed the registrar’s office to fix the case before an appropriate division bench.

As a member of the customs appellate bench of the LHC, Justice Khan had, on June 29, dismissed the bail petition. Ayyan is accused of money laundering. She has been in prison since her arrest from Benazir International Airport, Islamabad, on March 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2015.