Search Operation
The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) informed a Lahore district and sessions court on Saturday that it had allegedly recovered Rs4.1 million from PTI President Parvez Elahi’s house in a case related to illegal appointments in the Punjab Assembly.
Parvez Elahi’s counsel, Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn, disputed the claim, calling it a “bogus recovery.”
Last month, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested Parvez Elahi on charges of appointing Muhammad Khan Bhatti as his principal secretary during his tenure as the chief minister. They alleged that Bhatti’s appointment did not comply with the law.
Parvez Elahi has been arrested more than a dozen times in various cases since the beginning of June, following a crackdown against the party after the May 9 violence. On September 1, Islamabad police re-arrested Parvez Elahi under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance near his residence, shortly after the Lahore High Court set him free and issued a restraining order against his possible arrest by any agency or preventive detention.
Today, Parvez Elahi appeared before Judicial Magistrate Imran Abid’s court.
ACE’s investigating officer, Muhammad Sabtain, informed the court that they took Parvez Elahi to his residence on Zahoor Elahi Road, where they allegedly retrieved Rs4.1 million from his bedroom, located adjacent to a garage on the left side. The officer emphasized that the recovery was made with Parvez Elahi’s confirmation, as he was present during the search at his house.
In response to ACE’s claims, Parvez Elahi insisted that he had been in jail throughout the night and had not been taken anywhere. He stated, “I was asleep, and I have no knowledge of where they supposedly found the money.”
“It was only here in jail that I learned about the alleged recovery,” Parvez Elahi conveyed to the court.
Parvez Elahi claimed that the raiding officers had ulterior motives, seeking to secure their own positions. The magistrate then pressed the investigation officer over Parvez Elahi’s denial of being taken anywhere. The officer responded, pointing out that such claims were common from suspects. “We indeed transported Parvez Elahi to his residence. Otherwise, how did we bring this money?”
After the arguments, the court approved a two-day extension in Parvez Elahi’s physical remand and instructed the authorities to ensure the appearance of the PTI leader before the court on Monday.
