The special court of customs, excise and taxation in Rawalpindi dismissed the acquittal plea of supermodel Ayyan Ali on Friday.
Judge Rana Aftab Ahmed’s court rejected the supermodel’s plea after hearing the arguments from both sides and adjourned the next hearing of the currency smuggling case until November 12. She is expected to be indicted on the said hearing.
While presenting his argument customs prosecutor had opposed Ayyan’s acquittal plea and told the court that evidence clearly showed that Ayyan was involved in the currency smuggling case.
Earlier during the day, the supermodel had appeared in the court and requested it to allow her to leave for Karachi. The court had said that she had already appeared before it and she could leave for Karachi is she had to.
Ayyan Ali departed for Karachi following the court’s remarks.
During the hearing, former Punjab governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa had also claimed that the custom investigators had tampered with the evidence of the case and had demanded a forensic examination of the recovery record.
Earlier on November 4, the court had reserved its verdict on the application which was submitted by counsel for Ms Ali, on October 15.
Presenting his arguments Sardar Khosa had said that Ayyan Ali had been illegally detained for four months without any evidence against her. He added that no crime was proven against his client during her detention.
Khosa was of the view that Ayyan could not be indicted without any evidence hence she should be acquitted under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Ayyan Ali was arrested on charges of money laundering earlier in March this year after being caught with over half a million dollars by customs officials at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport.
The supermodel was granted bail in July after spending around four months in Rawalpindi’s notorious Adiala Jail ─ and after her judicial remand was extended 16 times.
Sadar Latif Khosa had earlier said his client had been arrested on false charges of money laundering. He said the Customs Act lacked interpretation of attempted money laundering. He said the petitioner had not been allowed to record her statement after the arrest, which was mandatory under Section 139 of the act.
The counsel said the petitioner had told the investigators at a very initial stage that she had got the money by selling property. He said the petitioner had carried the money to the airport to hand it over to her brother who was arriving from Dubai the same day.
He further said that Ayyan is an honourable girl and that she was framed in this case under a ‘conspiracy’.
