The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended the arrest warrants against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.
Last week, the court of Special Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Akbar had issued an arrest warrant for Sanaullah.
Taking up a petition filed by Sanaullah’s lawyer against the warrant today, Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan stopped the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) from arresting the minister.
The court has sought the case record from ACE by October 17.
Earlier, Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab on Interior Omar Sarfraz Cheema said that Rana Sanaullah will be arrested if he enters Punjab.
Cheema also directed the Inspector General of Punjab police to provide assistance to ACE Punjab for Sanaullah’s arrest.
On October 10, an ACE team returned empty-handed from Islamabad’s Secretariat Police Station after failing to arrest Sanaullah because of a “lack of cooperation” by the Islamabad police.
However, the Islamabad police had claimed that ACE refused to present the record in the case.
On October 8, a special judicial magistrate of Rawalpindi Ghulam Akbar issued the arrest warrant for Sanaullah at the request of ACE Punjab in an inquiry pertaining to an estate in a housing society that was purchased at a nominal price.
According to Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister for Anti-Corruption retired Brigadier Musaddiq Abbasi, Sanaullah had taken two plots as a “bribe” from an “illegal housing society” — the Bismillah Housing Scheme — in Chakwal district.
Abbasi said the ACE launched the land acquisition inquiry in 2017 against the minister. As per inquiry, the housing society’s owner presented two plots measuring 10 kanals as a bribe, he said.
Abbasi said these two plots were still in the possession of Sanaullah and his wife, which itself was “proof” that he had got these as a bribe by using his official position.
He said the case was registered in 2019 but the minister did not appear before ACE. “Sanaullah was re-summoned on Oct 6 but he did not appear before the ACE after which non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him,” he said.