Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi move IHC against £190m case conviction

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have filed petitions in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking suspension of conviction in the £190 million case, ARY News reported.

The petitions, filed through their lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had misused its authority and the conviction was based on incomplete investigations.

The petitions stated that the failure to obtain a declaration from the National Crime Agency (NCA) was a significant omission and that the NCA officials were not even investigated.

Furthermore, the petitions claimed that the prosecution had failed to present complete evidence and the conviction was rushed. The petitions requested that the conviction be suspended and that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be granted bail until the final decision on their appeal.

The petitions assured the court that the accused would be present at every hearing of the appeal after the suspension of their conviction.

Read more: PTI founder, Bushra Bibi convicted in £190m Al-Qadir Trust case

It is important to mention here that an Accountability Court in Rawalpindi earlier awarded a 14-year jail term to Imran Khan in a £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi has been jailed for seven years. Judge Nasir Javed Rana pronounced the verdict at Adiala Jail where accused Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were present

The court also imposed fines of Rs. 1 million and Rs. 500,000 on Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi respectively. Both individuals would have to face additional prison time if they fail to pay the fines.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi would have to face additional face six-month and three-month imprisonments in case of non-payment. Bushra Bibi was taken into custody from the courtroom in Rawalpindi.

The accountability court also ordered to take Al-Qadir University into government custody.

Al-Qadir University case

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.