A Lahore district court ordered the imprisonment of anchorperson Imran Riaz on Friday in connection to a corruption case, following his arrest the previous night. The arrest, captured on social media, has drawn criticism from the PTI, demanding Riaz’s immediate release.
Anchorperson Imran Riaz appeared before Judicial Magistrate Imran Abid, where the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) accused him and his father of securing a contract for Dharabi Lake in Chakwal at an inflated price. The charges invoked sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
During the hearing, the ACE sought a 14-day physical remand for Riaz, who, through his lawyers, argued that the case was baseless, emphasizing that his father was not a government official. Riaz claimed he was treated unfairly and that handcuffs were a symbolic gesture tied to political figures.
Riaz expressed disappointment over his father being labeled corrupt and challenged authorities to provide legal documents supporting the allegations. He professed confidence in the judiciary, vowing to continue fighting against what he called the “corrupt mafia.”
The court, after deliberation, rejected the ACE’s plea for physical remand and ordered Riaz to judicial lockup for 14 days, with the next hearing scheduled for March 8. The magistrate noted that all necessary documents for the investigation were already in the possession of the prosecution, and as nothing needed to be recovered from the accused, physical remand was deemed unnecessary.
