The Lahore court rejected the request from the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to grant physical remand for PTI President Parvez Elahi in two cases related to illegal appointments on Tuesday. Instead, he was placed on a 14-day judicial remand.
Parvez Elahi is among numerous PTI leaders and supporters who have been arrested in the government’s crackdown on PTI leadership following violent riots that erupted in the country after Imran Khan’s initial arrest on May 9.
He has been arrested multiple times since June 1 in various cases, with his total arrests surpassing 12, as reported by one of his attorneys.
His most recent arrest occurred on charges related to the appointment of Muhammad Khan Bhatti as his principal secretary during his tenure as chief minister. ACE alleged that Bhatti’s appointment was not in accordance with the law.
Anti-corruption officials presented him before a district court presided over by judicial magistrate Imran Abid today.
Elahi’s representatives
Elahi’s legal representatives, Amir Saeed and Rana Intizar, objected to the ACE’s request for his remand.
Saeed particularly objected to the ACE lawyer’s arguments for physical remand of the PTI leader, contending that they were irrelevant to the case.
In response, the ACE’s lawyer stated that they were seeking Elahi’s remand in two cases—one concerning Bhatti’s appointment and the other related to alleged illegal appointments in the Punjab Assembly.
Elahi was initially arrested in the case of recruitments to the Punjab Assembly on June 3, accused of manipulating the selection of Grade-17 officers in the provincial assembly.
Intizar informed the court that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had already approved protective bail for the PTI leader in the case. However, the ACE’s lawyer argued that Elahi’s remand was necessary for investigation due to the significance of the illegal appointments scandal.
After both sides presented their arguments, the court reserved its decision on the ACE’s request and later dismissed it, sending Elahi on a 14-day judicial remand.
Following the court’s ruling, Elahi requested to be sent to Adiala Jail, but ACE officials objected, suggesting he be kept in a Lahore prison. Nevertheless, the judge instructed officials to transfer Elahi to Adiala Jail.
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