Model Ayyan's name also surfaces in fake bank accounts case

ISLAMABAD: The name of model Ayyan Ali has also reportedly surfaced in an ongoing investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against money laundering through fake bank accounts.

Well informed sources said that the transactions worth million of rupees were linked to the model’s bank accounts which were also used to pay her air tickets travelling to and from the country.

It has been further revealed that Ayyan’s foreign tours and expenditures including lodging were paid through the fake bank accounts and the money was transferred to her.

On October 6, a special customs court in Rawalpindi issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Ayyan Ali in a currency smuggling case.

The court directed the custom officials to arrest the accused and present her in court by Oct 22. Customs prosecutor Amin Feroz noted that Ayyan had not turned up in court since December 8, 2015.

The accused model’s lawyer, Sardar Latif Khosa, didn’t make it to the court and was instead represented by a junior lawyer Iqbal Hussain.

The junior lawyer informed the court that Ayyan was unwell and could not appear in court and requested temporary leave from absence for his client. However, the court sought fresh medical reports of and said exemptions couldn’t be granted on the basis of old medical certificates.

Ayyan Ali was arrested  in March 2015 at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad on currency smuggling before she could board a flight to Dubai carrying $506,800 in her luggage.

She was ultimately released on bail in July 2016 after spending fours months at the Adiala Jail. Later she left the country in February 2017 after her name was removed from the Exit Control List and has not returned ever since.