- Petitions filed through Advocate Latif Khosa seeking suspension of sentence in the £190 million reference
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other respondents on the petitions filed by PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi, seeking suspension of their sentences in the £190 million reference.
A two-member IHC bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif heard the petitions.
During the proceedings, senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa, the counsel for the petitioner, requested the court that the case be scheduled for hearing next Wednesday. The court, while acknowledging the request, directed that the case be fixed for hearing next week and formally issued notices to all respondents.
On January 27, former prime minister Imran Khan and spouse Bushra Bibi challenged their conviction in the £190 million corruption case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The appellants asked the court to set aside their conviction and 14-year and seven-year sentences, respectively, awarded by an accountability court earlier this month, emphasising the ruling lacked credible evidence and suffered from procedural lapses.
The identical appeals pointed to the UK Court of Appeal’s judgement dated Nov 26, 2021 and clarified that the funds at the centre of the controversy were neither proceeds of crime nor linked to any illegal activity.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK had agreed to a £190m settlement with property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, specifying that the funds would be transferred to Pakistan Supreme Court’s account as part of a legal framework, they stated.
Mr Khan’s appeal accuses NAB of withholding critical evidence and failing to present witnesses from the NCA or relevant documents to substantiate its claims. His legal team pointed to the NAB’s earlier closure of the case in 2020, following the NCA’s settlement agreement, and argued that the reopening of investigation in 2023 was done in bad faith and for political reasons.
The appeal also contested the validity of a purported confidentiality deed presented by the prosecution. Mr Khan’s lawyers argued that the document was unverified, with no forensic analysis conducted to determine its authenticity. They added that the document was merely procedural, with no evidence linking it to any criminal activity.
Mr Khan’s lawyers emphasised that no personal financial gain had been established. They said that the funds deposited in the account of Al-Qadir University Trust — a legally registered trust promoting education — for furniture had been wrongly connected to the case.
On November 14, The Islamabad High Court (IHC) nullified the trial court verdict on acquittal pleas of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case.
As per details, Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb issued a nine-page verdict on a petition filed by the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi.
The court declared the trail court verdict null and void and directed the concerned court to decide on both pleas again.
Earlier, the Accountability Court rejected PTI founder Imran Khan’s plea seeking acquittal in a £190 million settlement reference.
Accountability Court’s Judge Nasir Javed Rana heard the arguments in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail from both sides before dismissing the plea.
Imran Khan’s counsel argued that Al-Qadir University is a trust and that his client did not get any personal benefits from it and was not involved in the financial dealings of the university.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan and his wife and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.
As per the charges, the former prime minister and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.
The NAB filed a corruption reference against Imran and seven others, including his wife, in connection with the Al-Qadir University.
The PTI chief registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on Dec 26, 2019.
