Illegal appointments case: Court dismisses bail petitions of Parvez Elahi, his ex-principal secretary

LAHORE: An anti-corruption court on Wednesday dismissed the post-arrest bail petitions of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, and his former principal secretary, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, in a case involving illegal appointments to the Punjab Assembly. Anti-Corruption Court Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta announced the reserved verdict on the bail petitions of the accused. A day earlier, the court had reserved the verdict on the bail petitions of the accused upon conclusion of arguments by the prosecution, while the petitioners’ counsels had already concluded their arguments during the previous hearing.

Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and Muhammad Khan Bhatti had filed post-arrest bail petitions, submitting that all allegations against them were baseless. They argued that the court had confirmed interim bail of co-accused/candidates in the matter; therefore, they should also be granted bail. The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab registered the case, accusing Parvez Elahi of unlawful appointments and kickbacks.

The qualified candidates were allegedly denied positions, while the individuals, who had not taken exams, were appointed.

The ACE claimed that Elahi, then-chief minister, misused his authority by influencing appointments after receiving bribes.