LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi remains caught in a ‘jail carousel’ as this time he was detained by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab Saturday — a day after getting bail from an anti-terrorism court in the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) attack case.
ACE officials have taken Punjab’s former chief minister to the judicial complex for transitory remand from where he will be taken to the ACE headquarters in Lahore later this evening.
Elahi faces four corruption cases, according to officials.
A day earlier, the PTI president was granted bail in the judicial complex attack case by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad.
ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain had approved Elahi’s bail against the surety bond of Rs20,000 — which Elahi’s legal team failed to pay.
Due to the non-payment of the bail bond, the Anti-corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested Elahi from Adiala jail.
The PTI president was apprehended hours after his release from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody on September 1, despite the fact that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had explicitly restricted the authorities from arresting him earlier that day.
The September 1 order was a reiteration of similar orders issued by the high court on July 13, 2023. Elahi has been arrested and detained repeatedly since the May 9 riots.
According to sources, Elahi is being taken to Lahore on a one-day transitory remand approved by duty judge Shahrukh Arjumand after his arrest today.
The court also ordered to produce the PTI president before the relevant court by tomorrow (Sunday).
Speaking to media persons, Parvez Elahi’s counsel Sardar Abdul Razzaq said no corruption case has been registered against his client in Punjab.
“Elahi’s bail amount wasn’t paid yet. He was not even released before being re-arrested in another case,” the lawyer added.
Razzaq said that Elahi was taken into custody from the jail premises and was taken to court for transitory remand. “Elahi has been arrested for the 12th time,” he said.
An ACE spokesperson said that Elahi was arrested in Lahore Master Plan 2050 corruption case, adding that he was taken into custody from Rawalpindi.
Elahi committed fraud to financially benefit himself in the project and tried merging his lands in Lahore by manipulating the plan, said the spokesperson.
He added that fake seals and monograms of a consultant firm were used to change the Master Plan while fake documents were also added to it.
“Attempts were made to convert agricultural land to commercial and residential to make billions of rupees,” said the spokesperson. He added that Parvez Elahi misused this position to benefit himself financially.
He added that the PTI president illegally used his authority to get approval for the project from the officers concerned. The spokesperson further said that a case has been registered against Elahi in Lahore for forgery in the Master Plan.
“All the suspects involved in the Lahore Master Plan will be apprehended,” added the spokesperson.
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