Moonis Elahi granted interim pre-arrest bail in money laundering case

Moonis Elahi granted interim pre-arrest bail in money laundering case

Web Desk
June 23, 2022

Moonis Elahi granted interim pre-arrest bail in money laundering case

A special court (banking office) on Wednesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to PML-Q leader and former federal minister Chaudhry Moonis Elahi till July 4 in a case of alleged money laundering registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) pursuant to a report of the Sugar Inquiry Commission 2020.

Elahi along with his counsel Amjad Pervez appeared before the court.

The counsel argued before the court that the petitioner already joined the investigation before the FIA, however, there were still apprehensions of his arrest. He said the case against the petitioner was politically motivated.

Presiding Judge Aslam Gondal allowed the bail petition subject to bail bonds and restrained the agency from arresting Elahi till July 4.

Asked about his previous stance of not seeking bail, Elahi responded to reporters saying he followed the advice of his legal counsel. “All steps are being taken as advised by my lawyer,” he added.

He refused to comment on the FIR registered against him.

Mr Elahi had on June 16 appeared before an investigation team of the FIA.

The FIR was registered under sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention), 109 (punishment for abetment), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a genuine forged document) of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 and section 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.

The FIR said in light of the sugar commission’s report, the FIA was mandated by the federal government to probe financial and corporate frauds committed by various sugar mills, including Rahim Yar Khan (RYK)/Alliance Sugar Mills.

Punjab Assembly secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Muhammad Nawaz Bhatti, Muhammad Ali, Mazhar Abbas, Makhdoom Omar Sheharyar, Tariq Jawaid and Wajid Khan Bhatti were also booked in the FIR.

Nawaz and Mazhar had been arrested by the agency.

It said the inquiry revealed that several low-profile individuals jointly set up RYK Sugar Mills Ltd. in 2007-8 at Rahim Yar Khan. The FIR added that the mill was set up by laundering funds from unexplained sources, including proceeds of financial crimes.