LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday granted bail to former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in the Punjab Assembly illegal recruitment case.
Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad announced the reserved verdict on the bail petition filed by the former chief minister. The court had reserved the verdict upon completion of arguments by the parties, a day earlier.
Earlier, in his arguments, Elahi’s counsel Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn argued that his client did not have any link with the recruitment. He submitted that his client did not receive any amount for the recruitment from any candidate, adding that the case was registered with a delay of two years. He pleaded with the court to grant bail to his client.
However, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab’s prosecutor opposed the bail petition and submitted that the case was registered in accordance with the law.
The ACE Punjab had instituted a case against Parvez Elahi and others on charges of recruiting 12 Grade-17 officers in the Punjab Assem
bly against merit. The ACE accused Parvez Elahi of unlawful recruitment and kickbacks. Allegedly, qualified candidates were denied positions while those who had not taken exams were appointed. The ACE claimed that, as the then chief minister, Elahi misused his authority by influencing recruitment after receiving bribes.