Pakistan: Lahore Court Grants Bail To Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in Money Laundering Case

A local court in Lahore, Pakistan, has recently issued an order for the release of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Elahi had been granted bail in a money laundering case filed against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The order was passed by a special court in response to Elahi’s bail application, which required him to submit a surety bond of Pakistani Rupees 500,000. Former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was arrested by the FIA on allegations of money laundering.

According to reports, Judge Aslam Gondal of the Banking Offenses Court announced the verdict and raised concerns about the non-cooperation attitude of the FIA.

The judge noted that despite the court’s order, the FIA failed to present the required records.

The FIA filed a case against Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and his son on charges of money laundering and suspicious transactions conducted on June 20. Elahi was taken into custody on June 21 and subsequently placed in prison under a 14-day judicial remand.

Initially, Elahi was arrested on June 1 in a corruption case during a crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf following protests on May 9. He has since been re-arrested multiple times in various cases, including two money laundering cases.

During the hearing of his bail plea at the Lahore High Court, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi requested bail similar to that granted to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

On June 26, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was placed under a 14-day judicial remand by a Lahore district court in connection with a money laundering case. This decision came shortly after his arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency outside the Camp Jail in the city.

The FIA registered a case in February against a woman named Saira Anwar, accusing her of accumulating assets through illicit means. In a plea submitted to the court, the FIA alleged that Elahi had provided PKR 50 million to Anwar through his intermediary, Muhammad Zaman, for the purpose of money laundering.

The FIA presented the same plea to the court, seeking a 14-day physical remand of Elahi, who had been granted post-arrest bail in another money laundering case two days prior but had not been released.