Pakistan: Court initiates proceedings to declare former minister Elahi as 'proclaimed offender' in corruption case

Judge Nasim Ahmed Virk conducted the hearing on an application of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The investigating officer presented a report in the court regarding the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants of Moonis Elahi.

He said Moonis Elahi had been escaping arrest and due course of law, according to Dawn.

He asked the court to initiate the proceedings under Section 87 of CrPC to declare Elahi as a proclaimed offender in the said case.

The judge accepted the request and initiated the process to put Moonis Elahi under a proclamation, Dawn reported.

The NAB has accused the former federal minister of misappropriately moving billions of rupees in development projects.

Earlier this week, a local court in Lahore issued a bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan's former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaaf (PTI) leader Moonis Elahi in a case related to money laundering.

The special court issued the arrest warrant for Elahi, who has been living abroad for the past couple of months, over non-compliance with the summons issued by the court.

During the hearing, the investigating officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the court that the suspect was avoiding receiving the summons, according to a Geo News report.

According to the FIR, an investigation began against Moonis Elahi under the Money Laundering Act in 2020.

The FIR stated further that the Sugar Commission's report said that Moonis Elahi was allegedly involved in money laundering, Geo News reported.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had asked the FIA to probe the sugar crisis throughout the country and find out who benefited from it. Subsequently, FIA's report revealed that top PTI members and Moonis Elahi were among those who had allegedly benefited from the sugar crisis in Pakistan. (ANI)