LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought reply from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) within a fortnight on a petition of former federal minister Chaudhry Moonis Elahi praying to quash a case of money laundering registered against him in the light of a report of the Sugar Inquiry Commission.
Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel contended that the impugned case and the proceedings before the FIA were a result of mala fide intentions.
He alleged that the impugned proceedings had been initiated to harass and blackmail the petitioner and his family so as to muffle their voice against the coalition government in the centre.
The counsel pointed out that the alleged financial transactions had been related to the period from 2007 to 2020 whereas the FIR had been registered in 2022. He argued that the agency failed to furnish any plausible explanation for the delay in registration of the FIR.
He stated that none of the suspects nominated in the FIR had been a public servant.
He further said that the FIR had been registered in pursuance of the sugar inquiry without issuing any summon or notice to the petitioner which showed mala fide and violation of the statutory laws.
The counsel, therefore, asked the court to declare the impugned case unlawful and quash the same.
The FIA had registered the FIR under sections 34, 109, 420, 468 and 471 of the PPC, read with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 and section 4 of the Anti Money Laundering Act, 2010.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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