An accountability court in Rawalpindi on Monday delayed its verdict for the third time in the £190 million case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana, presiding over the case, announced that the decision would now be revealed on January 17, Express News reported.
The delay was attributed to the absence of the accused during the proceedings.
Expressing frustration, Judge Rana stated he had been present at the court since 8:30 am, expecting the attendance of the accused. Despite repeated delays, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi did not appear, forcing yet another postponement.
The high-profile case, centred on allegations of misappropriating £190 million, continues to draw public attention. This delay has further fuelled speculation about the outcome and its potential political implications.
Counsels for Imran and Bushra were informed on Sunday that Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Nasir Javed Rana will announce the judgment in the £190m case in a courtroom inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where Imran has been detained for one and a half years on January 13.
The court had reserved its verdict on December 18 and was scheduled to unveil it on December 23. However, on December 23, the court adjourned the proceedings till January 6 amid initiation of rare talks between the government and the PTI party.
The accountability court once again deferred announcement of the verdict on January 6 and adjourned proceedings till January 13. However, this time it is going to unveil the much anticipated verdict in what is described as the biggest corruption case in the country.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the reference on December 1, 2023 against eight accused persons including Imran and his wife. The court on January 6, 2024 declared the rest of six accused proclaimed offenders as they did not face the trial and escaped to foreign countries.
The court indicted Imran and Bushra on February 27, 2024. The prosecution presented 35 witnesses, whom the defense later cross-examined.
Key witnesses in the case included PM’s former principal secretary Azam Khan, former defense minister Pervez Khattak and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
Three different judges presided over the case at various stages of the trial while the final investigative officer, Mian Umar Nadeem, was cross-examined after 38 hearings.
The accountability court provided the accused 15 opportunities to complete their statements under Section 342. However, no witnesses were presented by the defense.
The court approved Bushra Bibi’s pre-arrest bail while the PTI founder’s bail was granted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The IHC also directed the trial court to decide on the acquittal plea filed by the accused. A request by the defense to summon 16 witnesses as court witnesses was rejected.
A six-member NAB prosecution team, led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, handled the case. Other members included special prosecutors Amjad Pervaiz, Sohail Arif, Irfan Bola, Barrister Owais Arshad, and Chaudhry Nawaz.
The defense team included Barrister Salman Safdar, Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas, Usman Gul, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, among others.
What is the £190 million case?
The case alleges that Imran Khan and others involved adjusted Rs50 billion—equivalent to £190 million at the time—that was transferred by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government.
As PM, Khan obtained cabinet approval for this settlement on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the confidential details of the agreement. The arrangement had stipulated that the funds would be submitted to the Supreme Court.
According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife received land worth billions of rupees intended for the construction of an educational institute.
