LAHORE: A special court for anti-corruption on Wednesday dismissed the bail petitions of PTI President Parvez Elahi and former principal secretary to chief minister Muhammad Khan Bhatti in a case of alleged illegal appointments in the Punjab Assembly.

The lawyers for the petitioners argued that the former chief minister and his principal secretary had no role in the appointments made in the assembly. They said the case was politically motivated.

A prosecutor said illegal appointments of BS-17 posts were made in the assembly when Mr Elahi was the chief minister and Mr Bhatti was his principal secretary.

He said favourite candidates were appointed to the posts despite being declared failed in the written examination. He said the appointed candidates had also been nominated as suspects in the case registered by the anti-corruption establishment.

Both Elahi and Bhatti are on judicial remand in multiple other cases of alleged corruption.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2024