Fawad granted post-arrest bail in fraud case

RAWALPINDI: Special Court Judge Ali Nawaz granted post-arrest bail to former information minister Fawad Chaudhry in a fraud case.

The court accepted the bail against surety bond of Rs200,000 here on Monday. The judge added that Fawad be released if he was not wanted in any other case. However, the ex-minister would not be able to secure release as he is currently under detention in another corruption case.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Fawad’s brother Faisal Chaudhry said Fawad would contest the upcoming elections, but did not disclose which symbol he would contest from. “It will be a surprise,” he added.

Fawad was arrested last month and remanded in police custody for two days in connection with an August 2022 case for allegedly taking Rs5 million bribe from a citizen. He was later sent on judicial remand in the case. On Dec 11, the court granted the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) one-day physical remand of Fawad in a graft case.

On Saturday, it emerged that the Islamabad National Accountability Bureau had issued arrest warrants for the former PTI stalwart, accusing him of “commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices” under Section 9(a) of the NAB ordinance.

The warrant, issued by NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed, ordered for production of Fawad “for authorisation of detention for such period as may be necessary for finalisation of the inquiry”.

Subsequently, an Islamabad lower court allowed NAB to implement the arrest warrant and interrogate the ex-minister. Fawad was one of many PTI leaders who had left the party following violence in the country on May 9, when former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises.