The Lahore High Court (LHC) had on April 11 suspended the life sentence awarded to Hanif Abbasi in 2018 in the Ephedrine quota case, ordering his release on bail.
Lahore (Pakistan Point News – 2nd May, 2019) The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has challenged Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi’s bail in the Supreme Court.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) had on April 11 suspended the life sentence awarded to Hanif Abbasi in 2018 in the Ephedrine quota case, ordering his release on bail.
The ANF has now challenged the LHC verdict in the Supreme Court. The ANF, in its petition, stated that Abbasi is a convict and not an accused. Therefore, his bail should be suspended.
Abbasi was imprisoned for life after being convicted of obtaining a large amount of ephedrine, which is a controlled substance, and then selling it to narcotic smugglers. He was found guilty of selling 500kg ephedrine illegally.
A trial court had sentenced him on July 21, 2018. He was completing the sentence at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.
Abbasi, through his appeal, had requested the LHC bench to set aside his conviction and order release as the trial court had failed to appreciate facts of the case. He had also pleaded for suspension of the sentence and release on bail till final decision of the appeal.
The matter was earlier fixed at LHC Rawalpindi Bench earlier but the judges recused themselves from hearing the appeal. LHC chief justice ordered to fix the matter at Principal Seat while allowing an application for the purpose by Abbasi's counsel.
