Model Ayyan Ali indicted in currency smuggling case

RAWALPINDI: A special customs court in Rawalpindi on Thursday finally indicted model Ayyan Ali in the currency smuggling case, over eight months after her initial arrest from the airport with an undeclared half-a-million dollars in cash.

Ayyan Ali was arrested from Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport on March 14 with USD 500,000 and was accused of attempting to illegally take this amount outside the country.

Eight months after her arrest, the court of Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan has now finally indicted Ayyan, who pleads not guilty to the charges. The court has summoned prosecution witnesses on December 8 to record their statements.

Ayyan's lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa maintains that no proof of currency smuggling has been found during interrogation and that Ayyan, while carrying the currency, had yet not attained the boarding pass and was going to leave after handing over the money to her brother.

The high-profile case has been feverishly followed by the Pakistani media due to Ayyan's celebrity status and alleged political connections.