The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a probe into the latest alleged 'audio leaks' of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi and his lawyer after officially receiving a nod by the Interior Ministry.
The development came a day after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah directed the FIA to conduct a forensic analysis of the 'leaked' audio recordings—which surfaced on social media on Thursday—in which Elahi could be purportedly heard saying he wanted cases to be fixed before a sitting judge of the apex court.
Elahi, however, has responded by saying that the “wrong impression” was being given to his conversation with a lawyer about a corruption case involving his former pricipal secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti.
FIA sources said the leaked audio clips will be sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for analysis and its report will be submitted to the Interior Ministry.
Sources in the investigative agency said a case will be registered against the former chief minister if forensic report confirms the authenticity of the leaked recordings.
During the news conference on Thursday, Interior Minister Sanaulllah played the ‘censored’ version of the leaked audio clips in which Elahi could allegedly be heard discussing the Supreme Court cases, including one involving former Lahore police chief Ghulam Mehmood Dogar.
Sanaullah claimed he had censored the clips as he did not want to reveal the identity of the apex court judge before a forensic analysis was conducted.
The minister said he had directed the FIA to conduct a forensic analysis of the recordings and then arrest Elahi for interrogation after registering a case against him.
He added that the FIA had also been directed to consult with the law ministry on the matter.
