Ayyan Ali declared proclaimed offender

RAWALPINDI: Special Judge Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling, Rawalpindi Arshad Hussain Bhutta on Saturday declared supermodel Ayyan Ali a proclaimed offender in the currency smuggling case.

During the previous hearing, the court had warned that upon failure to turn up, the process to declare her a proclaimed offender will be initiated.

The court also ordered the relevant departments to halt the sale of her apartment in Karachi. The judge issued show cause notices against two guarantors Shaukat and Nawaz and directed to confiscate their surety bonds of Rs550,000.

It is expected that red warrant will be issued against Ayyan Ali on next date of hearing. The hearing of the case was adjourned till March 16.

The judge gave orders for Ayyan’s arrest as she comes to Pakistan dismissing the appeal filed by the model’s counsels Aftab Bajwa and Barrister Sarfraz Ali to grant her some more time to appear before the court. The court observed that the accused did not appear despite being given two months period. The court also issued perpetual non-bailable arrest warrant against the accused and summoned all the witnesses on next hearing. A Customs official informed the judge that he visited a Karachi residence of the accused following the address provided by her to serve warrants, but was told by local people that she had not visited the place for a long time.

In March 2015, the fashion girl was arrested from Benazir Bhutto International Airport when she was carrying $506,800 in cash that she was allegedly trying to smuggle to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ayyan spent four months in Adiala Jail and the government also put her name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

However, she was granted bail in July 2016 and subsequently she flew to Dubai after a court ordered removal of her name from the no-fly list.