£190m Case
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Pakistan has announced that the verdict in the £190 million case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, will be delivered on January 6, 2025.
The ruling, which had been reserved last week, was initially scheduled to be announced today (December 23), but the court decided to defer the announcement. This case, widely known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, has been a key part of the legal challenges faced by the former prime minister.
In this case, Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and several others are accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of causing a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer.
The charges stem from an alleged settlement between the PTI-led government and a property tycoon. The NAB claims that this deal led to the loss of funds, which were supposed to be allocated for public welfare, but were instead misappropriated through a series of transactions involving the property tycoon.
Throughout the one-year-long trial, NAB has recorded testimonies from 35 witnesses, including high-profile figures such as former principal secretary Azam Khan, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak, and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
The case revolves around the settlement of £190 million, allegedly involving the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK. The funds were reportedly transferred to the Pakistani government as part of an agreement with the property tycoon, with the intention of using them for the public good.
The charges claim that Imran Khan, while serving as prime minister, approved the settlement with the UK’s NCA in December 2019, without revealing the details to his cabinet or the public.
As part of the agreement, the money was to be submitted to the Supreme Court, on behalf of the tycoon.
Allegedly, Khan and his wife later received land worth billions of rupees from the tycoon to establish an educational institute in exchange for providing legal cover to the tycoon’s black money.
In the aftermath of this agreement, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad, shortly after the PTI-led government’s approval of the deal.
Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated since August of the previous year after being sentenced in the Toshakhana case-I, faces multiple legal battles, with this case being one of the most significant.
The ruling in this high-profile case is expected to have far-reaching implications, as it adds to the growing list of legal challenges surrounding Imran Khan’s leadership and political career.
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