LAHORE: An anti-corruption court on Friday confirmed the interim bail of former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s wife, Qaisara Elahi, son Rasikh Elahi, and daughter-in-law Zahra Elahi in the Ring Road extension project case.
The court also confirmed the interim bail of co-accused former director-general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Amir Ahmad Khan in the case.
The court directed the accused to furnish surety bonds of Rs 500,000 each to avail the relief.
Anti-Corruption Court Judge Safdar Ali Bhatti announced the decision following conclusion of arguments by the parties on the bail petitions of the accused. Qaisara Elahi and the other accused appeared during the proceedings and marked their attendance.
Petitioners’ counsel argued that Parvez Elahi had already been discharged in the case. They submitted that Parvez Elahi did not take any illegal action and that the extension of Ring Road was approved in accordance with the LDA laws. They pleaded with the court to confirm the bails of their cl
ients.
However, a prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab argued that Parvez Elahi misused his powers and approved the Ring Road extension project to benefit his family members. He submitted that the price of the 300-acre land, owned by the Parvez Elahi family increased many times as a result of the decision. He pleaded with the court to dismiss the bail petitions of the accused.
The ACE Punjab had registered a case against Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and others, alleging that the former chief minister approved the Ring Road extension project to benefit his family’s land ownership.