ISLAMABAD: In the recent week of April, the Customs Appellate Tribunal reserved a decision in Ayyan Ali money laundering case after completing the hearing of arguments in the case.
Earlier, the bench had imposed a fine of Rs5000 more for not attending tribunal’s proceeding. The tribunal had imposed a fine of Rs 24000 for the same reasons in the multiple petitions by the same appellant in the same matter.
Tribunal’s bench imposed this fine while hearing Ayan’s petition for restoration of money laundering case that has been dismissed twice for non-prosecution after the appellant failed to attend tribunal’s proceedings despite the issuance of multiple notices.
Tribunal’s division bench, comprising of Chairman, Justice (r) Manzoor Hussain and Ziauddin Wazir, heard the arguments.
Afterwards, the bench set the date of February 13 for hearing arguments as department’s counsel sought time. Earlier, hearing the previous petitions, the bench had time and again issued notices to Ayyan Ali and her counsel Latif Khosa. The tribunal then had imposed the said fine in the wake of ignoring tribunal’s notices.
Ayyan Ali had filed an application with the Customs Appellate Tribunal for early hearing of her restored appeal challenging the announcement about money laundering of $500000 in March 2015.
Ayyan counsels argued that his client was innocent. The counsels submitted that the department had not sufficient evidence to prove that she was involved in money laundering. He asked the tribunal to set aside the announcement made by the customs court. The bench then dated in office the hearing.
Ayyan Ali’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa had paid a fine of Rs10000 for restoration of the case. Earlier, the case was dismissed for non-prosecution by the appellant.
Ayyan Ali’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa had filed the petition with the Customs Appellate Tribunal Islamabad challenging the decision of a lower customs court regarding the confiscation of amount $500000 being smuggled by Ayyan Ali into a foreign country.
Ayyan was arrested from Benazir Bhutto International Airport with $500000 in March 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 $500000 out of the Pakistan.
The amount was confiscated by customs authorities and later customs adjudication found her guilty of smuggling said amount.
The customs court upheld the departmental decision on the confiscation of amount recovered from Ayyan.
