Lahore (Web Desk): A local court in Lahore on Wednesday sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a case related to money laundering.
Elahi had secured bail from an anti-corruption court in Lahore yesterday but could not be set free as his release orders were not delivered to the prison authorities.
The PTI leader was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) today from jail who was then taken to Services General Hospital Lahore for medical examination.
Later, the agency presented Parvez Elahi to the district court and sought his 14-day physical remand.
Judicial magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk presided over today’s hearing.
At the outset of the hearing today, the FIA’s counsel argued that there was “solid evidence” against Elahi and that his physical remand was needed to complete the investigation in the case.
In his arguments Elahi's counsel Rana Intizar said that an inquiry had previously also been conducted in the same case.
The lawyer requested the court discharge his client from the case contending that the cases were filed to make Parvez Elahi a target of political vendetta.
The judicial magistrate reserved the verdict on the FIA’s request seeking Elahi’s physical remand.
Subsequently, the court rejected the FIA's request and sent the PTI president to jail on 14-day judicial remand.
On Tuesday, the former Punjab chief minister was granted post-arrest bail by an anti-corruption court in Lahore in a case regarding the illegal recruitments in the Punjab Assembly.
However, a new case was registered against the PTI president and his son Moonis Elahi on charges of money laundering within hours of the release orders.
The case against Parvez and Moonis includes charges of fraud, money laundering, and corruption. It is alleged that the father-son duo concealed billions of rupees in five Panama-based companies.
The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) in Gujranwala had arrested former Punjab CM earlier this month for allegedly taking Rs15 million in bribes as the speaker of the Punjab Assembly for making out-of-merit appointments on grade-17 posts in the provincial assembly.
