Turning down the Customs department's plea to initiate criminal proceedings against supermodel Ayyan Ali under money laundering charges on Wednesday the Special Customs Court of Rawalpindi declared the recovered amount of $506,800 from Ayyan Ali's luggage at Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad as her property. In 2015, Customs officials recovered the money from Ayyan Ali at Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad under the Anti-Money Laundering Act and produced her before the Special Customs Court Rawalpindi which sent her to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.
Later, the Special Custom Court accepted her bail application after four months besides returning her travel documents against a surety and a guarantee. However, the customs department urged the Special Customs Court Rawalpindi to allow launching a criminal case against Ayyan Ali under the Anti-money Laundering Act to which the Court had reserved the judgement in the matter on March 24.
Announcing its reserved judgment on Wednesday, the Special Court ruled that the recovered money was a belonging of Ayyan Ali so no case could be registered against her. It is important to mention that adjudication about excluding Ayyan Ali's name from Exit Control List (ECL) is pending before Supreme Court of Pakistan where Federal Interior Ministry and Customs department have urged the court to set aside Sindh High Court's verdict that had directed the concerned authorities for excluding Ayyan Ali's name from the ECL.