ISLAMABAD, July 23: A day ahead of hearing of the ‘ephedrine case’, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) submitted a report to the Supreme Court on Monday claiming that warrants had been secured to arrest Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, former principal security to the prime minister.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will resume hearing of the case filed by the ANF regarding the import of the proscribed chemical -- a scandal in which Ali Musa Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, is said to be involved.

According to an informed source, the ANF report states that the warrants against Mr Lashari, who is abroad, had been issued in Rawalpindi on July 21.

The ANF had formally accused him on April 19 of having a role in the scandal.

The report said the ANF was conducting a probe against 18 pharmaceutical companies and investigations against five of them had been completed.—Staff Reporter