Court Indicts Pervez Elahi in NAB Reference Over Alleged Corruption in Development Projects

Lahore: In a significant development, former Chief Minister of Punjab and senior PTI leader, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, has been formally indicted in a corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) concerning alleged irregularities in developmental projects.
The accountability court in Lahore levied the charges in connection with a probe into corruption and kickbacks related to development projects in Gujrat. During the court proceedings, Pervez Elahi denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. The court has summoned witnesses for the next hearing.
The indictment sheet was presented to Pervez Elahi, who signed it in the presence of the court staff, who had to complete his attendance in his vehicle due to health reasons.
Earlier, the court heard the case against Pervez Elahi and others accused in the corruption reference. The court’s presiding judge, Zubair Shehzad Kiani, was informed by Elahi’s lawyer that the accused would arrive by 11:30 AM, after which the proceedings were adjourned.
In this case, several other individuals, including Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Khalid Mehmood Chatta, Asif Mehmood, Naeem Iqbal, Muhammad Asghar, and Asad Ali, have already been indicted. The court had previously indicted the other accused after Pervez Elahi failed to appear at the last hearing, with proceedings delayed due to the defense’s repeated requests for adjournments.
The accused are facing charges of accepting bribes and kickbacks through their involvement in developmental projects. The NAB reference alleges that Pervez Elahi and his nephew, Moonis Elahi, used Muhammad Khan Bhatti, a former principal secretary to Pervez Elahi, as a frontman to receive kickbacks. Bhatti is accused of securing key postings in the Punjab Highway Department for favored officers in exchange for bribes.
The next hearing of the case has been scheduled, with the court continuing to deal with the challenges related to the attendance of the accused, particularly those requesting exemptions on medical grounds.