ISLAMABAD: The Special Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana awarded 14 years jail term to PTI founder Imran Khan and seven years imprisonment to Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case. The long-awaited verdict in the £190 million case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, was announced on Friday.
Bushra Bibi was arrested from the court after Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1000000 on Imran Khan and Rs 500,000 fine on Bushra Bibi.
Malik Riaz, his son Ali Malik and Zulfi Bukhari were declared proclaimed offenders in this case.
Judge Nasir Javed reserved the judgment on December 18, 2024, and announced the verdict today in a makeshift court at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi were presented in the court when the verdict was announced on Friday morning.
This case is among the numerous legal battles faced by the incarcerated PTI chairman, who has been in jail for over a year following his conviction in the Toshakhana case-1.
The previous hearing, scheduled for January 13, was adjourned after the accused failed to appear in court. The verdict had been delayed earlier on December 23, 2024, and January 6, 2025, prompting Khan to allege that the delays were intended to “pressurize” him.
The Al-Qadir Trust Case
The case revolves around allegations that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, along with others, misappropriated £190 million (Rs50 billion at the time) sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to Pakistan as part of a settlement with a property tycoon.
In December 2019, the then-prime minister allegedly secured cabinet approval for the settlement with the NCA without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement. The funds were subsequently deposited into the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.
According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the PTI founder and his wife received land worth billions of rupees from Malik Riaz to establish an educational institute in exchange for granting legal cover to the tycoon’s illicit funds. The Al-Qadir Trust was founded in Islamabad shortly after the PTI-led government approved the settlement.
Over a Year of Legal Proceedings
The NAB arrested Imran Khan on November 13, 2023, in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, interrogating him and Bushra Bibi for 17 days at Adiala Jail.
The trial began in December 2023 after the NAB reference was filed. Formal charges were brought against the couple on February 27, 2024.
Key witnesses included former cabinet member Pervez Khattak, ex-federal minister Zubaida Jalal, former principal secretary Azam Khan, and the chief financial officer of Al-Qadir University.
The court declared six co-accused, including Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, and Zia-ul-Mustafa Nasim, as absconders and ordered the freezing of their assets and bank accounts.
During the trial, the Islamabad High Court granted bail to the PTI chairman in the £190 million reference, while the trial court approved pre-arrest bail for Bushra Bibi.
Imran Khan submitted a list of 16 witnesses to testify in his defence, but the court rejected the request to summon them. The verdict now awaits announcement amid high anticipation.
