ACE team fails to arrest Interior Minister Sanaullah

A team of the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) failed to arrest on Monday Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in a corruption case and returned empty-handed from Islamabad’s Secretariat Police Station, it was reported.

However, the ACE's officials from Punjab complained that the police officials at Islamabad’s Secretariat Police Station did not comply with the court orders.

Earlier, the provincial anti-graft watchdog officials were directed by a special judicial magistrate of Rawalpindi to to arrest the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and present him before the court.

Rawalpindi court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Rana Sanaullah

During the hearing, the ACE team requested the court to declare Sanaullah a “proclaimed offender”.

However, their plea was turned down. The magistrate said the PML-N leader could not be declared proclaimed offender at this stage.

On Saturday, a Rawalpindi civil court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the minister and directed relevant authorities to arrest Sanaullah and present him for the investigation.

Senior Civil Judge Ghulam Akbar passed the orders, which said that Sanaullah was nominated in a first information report (FIR). The order further said that Sanaullah's arrest “is necessary in the case, so non-bailable arrest warrants of the accused may be issued”.

Kohsar police refuse to arrest Rana Sana

Following the orders, an anti-corruption team led by Inspector Abdur Rehman reached Kohsar Police station of Islamabad. However, officers at the station refused to arrest Sanaullah, saying his residence is out of their jurisdiction.

The anti-corruption team was advised to contact the police station that has Sanaullah’s residence in its jurisdiction. The address mentioned on the arrest warrant is from Faisalabad, Kohsar police said