ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC), upholding an earlier Sindh High Court ruling, ordered supermodel Ayyan Ali's name to be struck off the Exit Control List (ECL) on Wednesday.
After the Sindh High Court (SHC) directed authorities to remove Ayyan's name from the ECL earlier in March, Islamabad customs collectors challenged the decision in the apex court.
The apex court disposed off the petition, observing that the constitution does not allow for restriction of citizen's movements.
The SC said there was no reason her name should remain on the ECL as she had regularly been attending hearings pertaining to a case of currency smuggling at the customs court in Rawalpindi and cooperating with law enforcement authorities.
The model had approached the court in December requesting the removal of her name from the ECL. Her counsel maintained that having her name on the ECL was illegal as authorities had returned her passport.
During a hearing of her case last year, the model said she was required to travel abroad for professional assignments and medical treatment, and since she had been released from jail on bail, her name should be struck off the ECL.
A customs court in Nov 2015 indicted Ayyan for attempting to smuggle more than half a million dollars in cash out of the country, to which she has pleaded not guilty.
The model was arrested on Mar 14, 2015, on charges of money launderingafter customs officials recovered $506,000 from her luggage at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport before she could reportedly board a flight to Dubai.
She was granted bail in July last year after spending around four months in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail ─ and after her judicial remand was extended at least 16 times.
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