An accountability court in Lahore on Thursday framed charges against former chief minister of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi and others in a high-profile corruption case.

During the hearing, presided over by Judge Rana Arif, all the accused denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.

The case against Pervaiz Elahi is related to alleged corruption in development projects in Gujrat.

The court was informed that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a supplementary reference after the emergence of two new accused.

The court has summoned the witnesses of the reference for January 29 to record their statements and gather evidence.

Pervaiz Elahi was previously taken into custody on September 19, 2023, in connection with this case and the alleged illegal appointment of Muhammad Khan Bhatti in the Punjab Assembly.

Earlier, on June 1, 2023, he had been arrested after his residence was under siege for a week by NAB and police teams.

According to the NAB, Pervaiz Elahi is wanted in a case of alleged misuse of authority and embezzlement of development funds.

The NAB alleges that during his tenure, development projects in Gujrat were executed in violation of rules and regulations, resulting in the misappropriation of public funds.

In a separate case related to illegal appointments, the former chief minister is accused of recruiting 12 Grade-17 officers in the Punjab Assembly against merit.

The NAB has claimed that the recruitment results of candidates from Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin were manipulated.

Secretary of the Punjab Assembly, Rai Mumtaz Hussain, has also been arrested in connection with the case.

The court adjourned the hearing after ordering the recording of witness statements in the next session on January 29.