LAHORE: A special court on Thursday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of former chief minister Punjab and PTI President Parvez Elahi till April 28, in a case of kickback registered by the Anti-Corruption Establish-ment (ACE).

The court also asked the ACE lawyer to complete his arguments on next hearing. The counsel of Elahi argued that the ACE lodged a false case against his client. He said the prime suspect, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, had already been discharged in the case. He said the ACE accused Elahi and his son Moonis of receiving kickbacks of Rs 120 million in payments made to a foreign contractor of Lahore Waste Management Company. He said all the payments had been made with the approval of cabinet. He said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also launched an inquiry on similar charges against his client and others. He asked the court to confirm the pre-arrest bail of Elahi.

The prosecutor said Elahi had not joined the investigation so far. He said tangible evidence was available to prove the offence against the former chief minister. Perviaz Elahi talking to the media said his decision to join PTI was right. He accused the PML-N of doing politics of victimization. He said not a single case had been made against the then opposition leaders during his government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023