Parvez Elahi asserts innocence and declares support for Pakistan Army
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
President Parvez Elahi faced re-arrest in a separate corruption case shortly
after being acquitted in a Rs70 million embezzlement case by a local court in
Lahore on Friday. The police apprehended the former Punjab chief minister from
the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) headquarters.
Previously, Judicial Magistrate
Ghulam Murtaza Virk cleared the PTI leader of the Rs70 million corruption case,
which involved the misappropriation of development funds allocated for the
Gujrat district. The court ordered his release unless he was wanted in any
other case.
During his appearance before an
anti-corruption court on Friday, Parvez Elahi pledged his allegiance to his
party, vowing to stand with them. He had been arrested by the Punjab
Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on charges related to the misappropriation
of development funds amounting to Rs70 million for the Gujrat district. His
bail plea in the case had been rejected.
Numerous corruption cases have
been registered against the former Punjab chief minister, accusing him of
receiving kickbacks in exchange for awarding various government development
projects during his tenure.
Parvez Elahi, while addressing
reporters before his hearing, maintained his innocence and declared his support
for the Pakistan Army. In a message to his party workers and supporters, he
urged them to remain resilient.
In an exclusive interview with
Geo News, Parvez Elahi indirectly criticized former party members who had
announced their departure from Imran Khan's party, stating that he would
refrain from holding any press conferences. He blamed Punjab Caretaker Chief
Minister Mohsin Naqvi, highlighting that he did not file any political case
against anyone but accused Naqvi of treating him unjustly.
Judicial Magistrate Ghulam
Murtaza reserved the verdict after hearing Parvez Elahi's case, during which
the ACE requested a 14-day physical remand for the former Punjab chief
minister. Parvez Elahi's counsel, Advocate Rana Intizar, informed the court
that all documents related to the projects were available. The defense also
criticized the anti-corruption watchdog, alleging that they were implementing
their own laws and influencing the selection of judges for the cases.
Multiple cases were filed against
Elahi in Gujranwala on charges of accepting kickbacks in contract awards, with
another case lodged in Lahore against the former chief minister. Non-bailable
arrest warrants were issued by a special judge of the anti-corruption court in
Lahore, instructing authorities to produce Parvez Elahi by June 2. The police
had previously attempted to arrest him at his residence but were unsuccessful.
In April, the ACE Gujranwala
filed a case against the PTI president based on a report that alleged he had
received a bribe of Rs2 billion for a development scheme contract.
Additionally, Parvez Elahi was also implicated in another case, FIR No 6/23,
for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs120 million from a Turkish company.
The anti-corruption court judge
deemed Parvez Elahi's medical certificate, which claimed he was experiencing
chest pain, as fraudulent.
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