Constant absence: Customs court orders supermodel Ayyan Ali’s arrest

RAWALPINDI: Special Judge Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling Arshad Hussain Bhutta has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to bring supermodel Ayyan Ali from abroad and produce her before it at all costs.Further case proceedings will start after the supermodel’s arrest, the court ordered on Tuesday. Special Prosecutor Customs Ameen Feroz requested that red warrant be issued for Ayyan because she had been declared a proclaimed offender for not appearing in the court since December 16, 2015.The court also rejected all papers (power of attorney and memo for appearance) emailed by the supermodel to her lawyer Malik Qamar Afzal and recorded the statements of all 10 witnesses.As the case hearing started, the supermodel’s lawyer presented papers (power of attorney and memo for appearance) but Special Prosecutor Customs Ameen Feroz told the judge that the papers were of no value until attested by the Foreign Office.He said the accused had sent the papers through an e-mail to her lawyer rather than through the Foreign Office. The court accepted the special prosecutor’s point and directed that the statements of all 10 witnesses be recorded.The 10 witnesses including ASF officials Muhammad Waqas, Tayyaba Bibi, ASI Muhammad Waseem, Shaukat Ali Khan, Lady Inspector Customs Uzma Nafees, Inspector Manzoor Hussain, former deputy superintendent Yousaf Mughal, Waseem Ahmed, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Commercial Assistant Naveed Iqbal and investigation officer (IO) Muhammad Saleem recorded their statements with the court.The counsel for the accused tried to seek more time for her client to surrender before the court but the judge turned down the request.The court has already seized Rs550,000 surety bonds of the supermodel’s two guarantors, Shaukat and Nawaz, which were deposited as post-arrest bail when Ayyan was released from the jail in July 2015.

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