Fawad Chaudhry sent to jail on one-day physical remand in fraud case

Fawad Chaudhry was sent to jail on Tuesday on a one-day physical remand in a fraud case!

Islamabad’s district and sessions court ordered to send former PTI leader and ex-information minister Fawad Chaudhry to jail on another one-day physical remand in a case pertaining to financial fraud.

The former PTI leader was presented before the court after completion of a two-day physical remand amid tight security.

Today’s hearing was attended by prosecutor Adnan Ali and defense counsels Ali Bukhari, Faisal Chaudhry, and Qamar Inayat.

Fawad Chaudhry’s wife Hiba Chaudhry was also present at the court.

Today’s outset of the proceedings:

Faisal Chaudry urged the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the police for covering his client’s face despite orders issued at the previous hearing. “He is a former minister and a Supreme Court lawyer,” he said.

He also requested the judicial magistrate to grant Fawad permission to meet his wife and other family members.

The prosecutor told the court that Fawad Chaudry was not cooperating with the police. Providing the case details, Ali said the former minister had promised the complainant a job in return for Rs0.5 million but never hired him. When asked to return the money, Fawad allegedly threatened the complainant, he added.

Prosecutor Adnan Ali subsequently sought a five-day extension in Fawad Chaudhry’s remand.

“We have to recover a pistol and money from him and also conduct an identification parade,” he said.

However, Fawad’s defense counsel Ali Bukhari objected to the prosecutor’s request.

Ali Bukhari read out loud the FIR lodged against Fawad in court and highlighted that it didn’t mention anything connected to taking money.

“The case registered against my client is blind. There is no witness in this case,” he contended, adding that Fawad Chaudhry was arrested on a mere accusation.

Bukhari further asked if the complainant entered into any agreement with Fawad Chaudhry and also inquired if there was progress in the investigation in the past three days.

He also highlighted that a case against Fawad was filed six months after the episode, while Faisal complained that the police had confiscated his phone.

“Police can misuse Fawad Chaudhary’s mobile phone,” the lawyer added.

Bukhari maintained that the police cannot withdraw the money in question using the politician’s phone.

On Sunday, the court handed over Fawad Chaudry to the police, approving his two-day physical remand, a day after he was arrested from his residence in Islamabad.

He was taken into custody after a complaint was filed against him in Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station for soliciting a Rs5 million bribe in exchange for a job.

“Fawad Chaudhary was bitter over the demand for money, on which he threatened to kill me,” the plaintiff said in the first information report (FIR) against the politician, claiming that he gave Rs5 million to the former minister.