LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday allowed six days physical remand of PTI President and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi development projects bribe case and directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to produce him before the court on August 21.
Earlier, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Ch Pervez before the court and sought his 14-day physical remand in the case.
The prosecutor said that the accused approved 72 billion rupees development projects as Chief Minister Punjab for two constituencies of Gujrat district. He also claimed that Moonis Elahi fixed kicks back in these projects and the money was paid before completion of these projects which was a clear violation of the law, and added that the accountability bureau had evidence pertaining to these charges also. The prosecutor also informed the court that four suspects had previously been arrested in the said case.
The counsel of Pervez Elahi pleaded the court to grant permission for home food and medicines to Elahi.
The prosecutor, however, told the court that home food and medicines are already being provided to Pervez Elahi.
The counsel also sought the court permission to Elahi for meeting with his wife, son and his lawyer. The counsel said cases against his client’s arrests were currently being heard in the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court. He, therefore, asked the court to allow Elahi’s physical remand till August 21 (Monday) as by then the SC and LHC verdict will also be announced.
The prosecutor, however, interrupted and said the NAB was seeking Elahi’s physical remand for 14 days. The court, however, handed over Elahi in the NAB custody till Aug 21.
Pervez Elahi was rearrested by the NAB on Monday last soon after his release from Rawalpindi Adiala Jail. He was released upon the completion of his 30-day detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). The other day, the NAB produced Pervez Elahi before a court of duty magistrate who allowed one-day transit remand of the PTI leader and he was later brought to Lahore.
On June 9 last, the NAB initiated an inquiry against Pervez Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi and other family members for their alleged involvement in embezzlement in development projects in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. The NAB alleged that Elahi received bribes/kickbacks in exchange for awarding the contracts of road schemes to his favorite persons.
His son Moonis Elahi, Mahr Azmat Hayat and others are also accused in the case. The NAB claimed that the co-accused were involved in causing loss to the government exchequer to the tune of millions of rupees against receipt of commission/kickbacks and committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9(a) of the NAB ordinance, 1999.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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