Pakistani court grants bail to PM’s aide in graft case

KARACHI, Pakistan

A Pakistani court Wednesday ordered release of a close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan on a bail in a corruption case, which stemmed from whistle-blower Panama Papers, local media reported.

A two-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted bail to Aleem Khan --a former minister of the northeastern Punjab province - in a case pertaining to assets beyond his known income sources against two surety bonds with one million rupees worth ($7500) each, the local broadcaster Dawn News reported.

Aide Khan, who is known to be the main donor of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) --a state-run corruption watchdog-- in February this year.

His name surfaced in the Panama Papers, along with 450 other Pakistanis, for owning offshore companies.

Khan had immediately stepped down from his office following the arrest.