Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was discharged in a corruption case by a Lahore court on Friday, only to be re-arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Gujranwala in a separate case outside the court premises.
Elahi’s initial arrest took place on Thursday outside his Lahore residence after multiple failed raids. Television footage showed him being forcefully taken away on a road during the arrest.
However, earlier today, the district court discharged Elahi in the corruption case, deeming it not “well-founded” according to the ACE investigation and inquiry. The court ordered his immediate release unless required in any other criminal case, but allowed the investigation agency to arrest him subsequently if incriminating evidence is found.
Shortly after his discharge, Elahi was once again taken into custody by anti-corruption officials in a separate case, accusing him of causing a loss of Rs100 million to the national exchequer and receiving kickbacks during his tenure as Punjab chief minister.
The Government of Punjab strongly criticized the judicial magistrate who discharged Elahi, accusing him of bias in favor of PTI, and expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision.
Meanwhile, the PTI claimed that “fake cases” were being lodged against Elahi to compel him to leave the party.
Elahi’s arrest on Thursday came after at least one unsuccessful attempt, including a raid on May 29 where ACE and police officials used an armored vehicle to break open the main gate of his residence, resulting in the arrest of 12 individuals, mostly employees, from his house. Some women were also taken into custody by female police officers during the raid.
