From Adiala jail to ACE headquarters: Parvez Elahi arrested yet again in corruption cases

Islamabad’s anti-terrorism court had granted bail to the imprisoned former chief minister

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Chaudhry Parvez Elahi – the PTI president – ended up again in law enforcers’ custody as the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab arrested him as soon as he left the Central Jail Rawalpindi – commonly known as Adiala jail – after his release on Saturday.

The latest arrest came as Elahi – who also served twice as the Punjab chief minister – is nominated in four corruption related cases being investigated by the ACE – the top anti-graft agency in the province.

His release was a result of the bail in the judicial complex attack case granted by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Islamabad a day earlier conditioned to the submission of Rs20,000 surety bonds.

After his arrest, the ACE officials presented Elahi before a local court at the federal capital’s Judicial Complex, which granted a one-day transit remand while also ordering medical examination of the accused.

It is said that the former chief minister would be transported to the ACE headquarters in Lahore later in the day.

Reacting to the move, Sardar Abdul Razzaq – the counsel for Elahi – told media persons outside the Judicial Complex that his was arrested for 12th time so that he couldn’t be released.

Interestingly, he added that surety bonds in the Judicial Complex case had not been submitted yet and Elahi was arrested from the prison’s premises.

Razzaq also claimed that the PTI president wasn’t ready to hold any press conference – a reference to the practice followed by those party leaders and activists who renounce their association with the imprisoned PTI chairman and his policies.

The Lahore High Court had passed clear orders that his client shouldn’t be arrested in any case, the defence counsel added.