RAWALPINDI: A customs court in Rawalpindi on Wednesday rejected super model Ayyan Ali’s bail application after hearing arguments from both sides.
Ayyan was arrested in March on charges of smuggling US $500,000 abroad. Since then, she is being held at Adiala Jail.
Ayyan’s lawyers, Sardar Latif Khosa and Sardar Ishaq appeared before the customs court. The defense team argued that though the money was recovered from her possession, she didn’t intend to ‘smuggle’ it.
In a review on Ayyan’s bail application, Khosa said the money seized is the joint property of the model and her brother. Khosa defended Ayyan stating that the model was not taking money out of the country and was arrested before she could get her boarding card.
He also said that access to the VIP lounge is not difficult and anyone can get access on payment of Rs 1000, adding she was arrested at the point where there was no customs counter. He further added that the job of the Airport Security Force (ASF) is to check for weapons.
The model charges Rs0.5 million per show in foreign countries and is one of the investors in Pakistan, Khosa said, adding that it is a conspiracy to stop investors coming to Pakistan.
Customs lawyer Malik Kamal said the model was carrying the money in her personal baggage, adding the model failed to justify her stance and was caught red handed.
The court denied the bail application after earlier reserving its decision.
