RAWALPINDI: On Friday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Rawalpindi filed a reference against Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and seven others in connection to the £190 million settlement case.
The Deputy Prosecutor General of NAB, along with Investigating Officer Mian Umar Nadeem, submitted the reference in Islamabad’s accountability court, listing eight suspects, including Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
In 2019, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) reached a £190 million settlement with the Riaz family following an investigation into frozen funds. The settlement, part of an out-of-court agreement with the property tycoon, mandated the return of funds to the government of Pakistan. The settlement included a UK property, 1 Hyde Park Place, London, valued at around £50 million, and the entirety of the frozen accounts.
Imran Khan filed a post-arrest bail plea in the accountability court on Thursday, asserting that the cases against him were politically motivated to tarnish his reputation.
The plea, submitted by Latif Khosa, Intezar Panjutha, and Ali Aijaz, requested bail until a decision in the £190 million case. Judge Muhammad Bashir issued notices to the involved parties and adjourned the hearing until December 4.
Earlier in May, the then Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that Imran Khan and his wife received billions from a real estate firm to legitimize a laundered amount of Rs50 billion returned to Pakistan’s central bank by the UK. The government alleged that the recovered amount was not deposited in the national exchequer, but instead transferred to the Supreme Court registrar’s account.
Former Petroleum Minister Musadiq Malik asserted that the money was returned to Bahria Town through forgery, criticizing the government for keeping details of the agreement confidential. The issue of the Rs50 billion was raised by the former ruling coalition’s cabinet members in January.
