ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Customs Appellate Tribunal, headed by Chairman Justice (r) Manzoor Hussain adjourned the hearing of Ayyan Ali’s money laundering case till fourth week of February.
A division bench of the tribunal comprising Chairman, Justice (r) Manzoor Hussain and Ziauddin Wazir heard the matter.
Ayyan Ali’s counsel, Sardar Latif Khosa, had filed the petition at Customs Appellate Tribunal, Islamabad challenging the decision of a lower customs court regarding confiscation of $500,000, seized while being smuggled by Ayyan Ali, and imposition of fine for trying to smuggle money out of Pakistan.
Ayyan was arrested from Benazir Bhutto International Airport with $500,000 in March this 2015. The Airport Security Force intercepted her and recovered the said amount from her luggage. She was released on bail after four months in Adiala Jail.
Through the petition, Ayyan’s counsel challenged the said decision announced by a Rawalpindi customs court. The court had indicted Ayyan for trying to smuggle $500,000 out of the Pakistan.
The amount was confiscated by customs authorities and later customs adjudication found her guilty of smuggling said amount out of Pakistan.
The Customs court maintained departmental decision on confiscation of the money and also added a fine of $500,000 (the same amount seized while being smuggled) on Ayyan.
The Customs tribunal had not yet decided the date to hear the case. Ayyan had filed the petition at the tribunal after appointment of new Chairman Manzoor Hussain.
It is pertinent to mention that Ayyan had pleaded not guilty to the charges of money laundering at the lower court and defended against the case in which she had been ‘purposefully’ implicated.
Customs court Judge Rana Aftab Ahmed heard the case and had recorded several eye witnesses in the case. It is worth mentioning that custom officer Chaudhry Ijaz, one of the key witnesses in the case, was murdered. Ijaz was shot in the leg when two armed motorcyclists opened fire at him in the remits of Waris Khan police station.
The apex court had also rejected her acquittal pleas in the money laundering case. However she was granted bail on securities to attend the lawful proceedings in the case. On the last hearing, the tribunal had adjourned hearing on the matter following counsels’ request.
On the last hearing, the bench issued notices to collector customs, Islamabad and the other counsels. The bench then dated in office hearing the case. The bench is likely to resume hearing on the case during next visit of chairman to tribunal headquarters in Islamabad.
