LAHORE, Aug 18: An additional district and sessions judge on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to French national Philippe Jean Marie in two cases of issuing bogus cheques. A judicial magistrate had earlier rejected his bail petitions.

Old Anarkali police registered two FIRs against the French citizen on the complaints of Nauman Rasheed and Ali Anwar. They alleged that Marie had given them two cheques for Rs1.25 million and Rs0.5 million, respectively, which were dishonoured by the banks concerned.

Complainants said they had given money to Marie for the issuance of visas as he (accused) impersonated an official of his country's embassy.

Lahore Bar Association President Shahzad Hasan Sheikh, representing the accused, argued that the cheques which were used to register cases against his client were stolen and in this regard an application had already been filed with Allama Iqbal police station.

On the other hand, counsels for the complainants pleaded that the accused issued eight cheques of different amounts in his handwriting and all were dishonoured. They said the accused lodged a complaint regarding cheques' theft after the banks dishonoured the same.

Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain Chaudhry, however, disregarded the prosecution's arguments and allowed bail to the accused in both cases.

Meanwhile, the same judge awarded life imprisonment on two counts with a fine of Rs200,000 to an accused involved in a narcotics case.

In 2003, Samanabad police had arrested Khazir Khan and recovered 39kg hashish from his possession.