Lahore High Court dismisses FIA's money laundering case against Moonis Elahi

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday quashed the money laundering case against PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi, which had been registered with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The former federal minister and PML-Q leader's petition for the dismissal of the case was accepted by the high court.

On October 1, the LHC fixed a hearing for Elahi’s petition where he sought the quashing of the case filed against him by the FIA.

According to the case list issued by the LHC registrar’s office, Justice Asjad Javed Ghural was slated to hear Moonis’s petition. The court summoned lawyers from both parties for their final arguments.

Elahi's petition stated that the FIA’s money laundering case against him was the result of "political engineering", as the government wanted to hold his media trial.

The NAB law supersedes all criminal laws and the bureau already gave Moonis a clean-chit in the cases, it added.

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

The case

A probe against Moonis under the Money Laundering Act began two years ago, as per the FIA.

The first information report (FIR) registered in this regard — quoting a report by the Sugar Commission — said that Moonis was allegedly involved in money laundering.

PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan tasked the FIA to investigate the sugar crisis throughout the country and find out who benefited from it.

Subsequently, a report by the agency released last year claimed that top PTI members as well as Moonis were among those who had allegedly gained from the sugar crisis in the country.

In addition, a money laundering case has been filed against Nawaz Bhatti, nephew of the secretary of Punjab Assembly Muhammad Khan Bhatti, and a peon at RYK Sugar Mills Mazhar Iqbal.

The FIA said that both Bhatti and Iqbal have been arrested.