Pakistan’s powerful MQM chief Altaf Hussain was released on bail on Saturday, four days after he was arrested here by the British police on charges of money laundering.
The 60-year-old exiled leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was arrested on June 3 from his north london home and taken to a central london police station for questioning.
“The 60-year-old man arrested on Tuesday, June 3 on suspicion of money laundering has been released on police bail to a date in July pending further enquiries,” a police statement said without naming Hussain.
Hussain was questioned for seven hours last evening, BBC reported. He was transferred to a hospital for check-ups after being arrested on Tuesday. He returned to Scotland Yard custody on Friday after spending three days in the hospital.
The police said Hussain’s move back from hospital to detention was agreed after consultation with the Wellington Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment.
Investigations are continuing into the case and Hussain is due to report to police again in July. Thousands of his supporters have been staging a protest rally in Karachi - Pakistan’s biggest city and the MQM’s power base. The news of Hussain’s release prompted wild celebrations in the city, media reports said.