Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday ordered concerned authority to expunge supermodel Ayyan Ali's name from Exit Control List (ECL) in currency smuggling case. A divisional bench of SHC headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh had reserved its verdict in previous hearing last month after hearing arguments from the attorney general and her lawyer. Supermodel, who was arrested over alleged currency smuggling, had moved the high court against the ban on her movement outside the country.
Following which the Interior Ministry filed comments stating that the petitioner's name was put on the ECL on the request of Customs authorities. The ministry said, since a case related to money laundering was pending adjudication against the petitioner, she could not be allowed to leave the country.
The supermodel had approached the SHC, seeking direction for the Interior Minister to remove her name from the ECL following her arrest for alleged currency smuggling last year. Ayyan's lawyer, Sardar Latif Khosa, argued that placing her name on the ECL was a violation of fundamental rights as well as a violation of Article 18 of the Constitution.
Ayyan had maintained in her petition that her mother was severely ill and she also was bearing losses in business matters. However, the Attorney General requested the court to grant 10-day time in the matter. The court entertained the request and delayed implementation on its order pertaining to removal of Ali's name from ECL by 10 days. Earlier in December, special court of customs, excise and taxation had approved Ayyan Ali's surety bonds worth Rs 2 million to return her passport which was confiscated after her arrest. The supermodel was arrested by customs officials from Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad on March 14 after $506,800 were recovered from her luggage. She was released from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after almost four months in detention.
Comments
Comments are closed.