LHC to hear Moonis Elahi plea in money laundering case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Saturday fixed the hearing of former federal minister and PMLQ leader Moonis Elahi’s petition, seeking quashing of a money laundering case filed against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

According to the cause list issued by the LHC registrar’s office, Justice Asjad Javed Gharal will hear Moonis’s petition on October 3 (tomorrow). The court has summoned lawyers from both parties for their final arguments.

Advocate Muhammad Amjad Pervaiz would appear before the court on behalf of the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Asad Ali Bajwa would represent the federal government. The FIA DG and investigating officer have been made respondents in the petition.

It is stated in the petition that the FIA’s money laundering case against Moonis was the result of political engineering as the government wanted to hold a media trial of PMLQ leader.

The NAB law supersedes all criminal laws and the Bureau has already given Moonis a clean-chit in these allegations, it added.

Earlier, a banking court issued notices to Moonis Elahi and others for October 11 in the money laundering case after the FIA filed a challan in that matter.

The Special Court (Offence in Banks) Judge, Aslam Gondal, issued the notices while proceeding with the trial.

The FIA filed the challan of the case in the banking court a day ago. In a 33-page challan, the FIA had nominated Moonis Elahi, Nawaz Bhatti, Mazhar and Wajid Bhatti as accused.

The challan submitted that Naib Qasid Nawaz Bhatti was a close relative of Punjab Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti and Rs24 billion turnover was witnessed in his 32 accounts.

It also submitted a record of transactions worth millions of rupees in the account of Qaisar Iqbal, who was working as a peon in the Punjab Assembly.

Besides submitting the record of nine benamidars of Moonis and alleged 42 benami accounts, the challan submits that Nawaz Bhatti and Mazhar were facilitators of the PMLQ leader and the monetary fraud was committed in their names.

The challan submitted that 61 percent shares of Rahim Yar Khan Sugar Mills were in the names of two poor persons who could not afford to invest Rs500 million in the sugar mills. Nawaz Bhatti and Mazhar had denied having any shares in the sugar mills, which showed that Moonis Elahi had used their names, it added.

The FIA had registered a case against Moonis Elahi, and others under sections 109, 420, 468, 471, 34 of PPC read with 5(2) of Prevention of Cor­ruption Act 1947 and 3/4 of the Anti-Money Laun­dering Act 2010 in connection with the affairs of the RYK/Alliance Sugar Mills Group.