A special customs court on Wednesday ordered the initiation of the process to declare super model Ayyan Ali a “proclaimed offender” in a money laundering case if she fails to appear before the bench by February 15.
Dismissing appeals filed by the fashion model to quash her non-bailable warrants in the case, the presiding judge, Arshad Hussain Bhutta, court cancelled the surety bonds and sent notices to the guarantors to appear in the next hearing.
He also directed the authorities to arrest and present Ayyan in the court by February 15.
It has been stated in the order that the accused had been skipping hearings for the past two years.
On January 18, the court had reserved its verdict on three appeals in which Ayyan had sought quashment of her arrest warrants, forgiveness for her absence from the court and for having two trials in the same case.
Judge Irshad Hussain ordered the model to appear before the court and insisted if she failed to appear, the court “will initiate the process to declare Ayyan a proclaimed absconder”.
In March 2015, the model was arrested by the Airport Security Force (ASF) at the Benazir International Airport.
She was carrying $506,800 in cash that she was allegedly trying to smuggle to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ayyan spent four months in Adiala jail and the government also put her name on the Exit Control List (ECL).
Tags:
Money Laundering