£190m settlement from UK: NAB files graft case against Imran in court

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday filed a reference against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Imran Khan and others in the case of £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK.

The other accused named in the reference are Farhat Shezadi (Farah Gogi), Mirza Shehzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari and others.

Deputy Prosecutor General of NAB Muzaffar Abbasi filed the reference along with investigating officer Mian Umar Nadeem. In the reference, the NAB, Rawalpindi, said that accused persons in connivance with each other have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices as defined and punishable under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999.

The investigation report along with the list of witnesses and documents was also attached. It accused Imran Khan and Shahzad Akbar of collusion, saying that the latter prepared a misleading note on December 2, 2019.

According to the note, the British magistrate ordered the account to be frozen at the request of National Crime Agency (NCA). The order was in respect of properties worth £20 million. The NCA obtained further account freeze orders of £170 million. The total property value was 190 million British pounds.

Imran placed the note in an in-camera meeting of the cabinet, which was approved in December 2019. Shahzad Akbar and Imran submitted the Deed of Confidentiality to the NCA on behalf of the Government of Pakistan. Barrister Zia Al Mustafa “dishonestly” signed the confidentiality deed as a witness, it said.

Regarding the transfer of money, Shahzad Akbar and Imran secretly resorted to dishonesty. The account of the Registrar Supreme Court was declared as the account of the State of Pakistan and Imran was aware of the whole plan.

The former prime minister had taken 458 kanals of land. When the land was given, the Al-Qadir Trust did not exist. The reference said that records prove that the 458 kanal land was transferred to Zulfi Bukhari in April 2019. It was later transferred to Al Qadir Trust University. An amount of Rs28 crore was also transferred to the Al Qadir Trust University. Founded by Imran Khan and Trustee Bushra Bibi, the cost of construction of Al-Qadir Trust University was estimated at Rs28.4 million.

Investigation revealed that Al-Qadir Trust University did not exist when the PTI chairman was benefited. The 171 million pounds was to be transferred to the Government of Pakistan instead of benefitting someone else.

According to the reference, there were ulterior motives behind the illegal transfer of money in which the former prime minister was involved. The seized property in Britain belonged to the state of Pakistan. It was misrepresented that the account in the Supreme Court is being run for the benefit of the State of Pakistan.

According to the reference, Imran Khan was given the land for Al Qadir Trust University against the benefit he gave. Zia-ul-Mustafa and Shahzad Akbar made several visits to Britain and settled matters with the NCA, Zulfi Bukhari played the role of PTI’s frontman, and Bushra Bibi, being the wife of Imran, received financial benefits. Bushra Bibi signed the Acknowledgment of Donation and played a role in the illegal process.

Farhat Shezadi was Imran and Bushra Bibi’s frontwoman as she was made a trustee of Al Qadir Trust in January 2022. As many as 240 kanals of land were transferred to Farhat Shezadi’s name immediately after becoming a trustee.

The reference further said that information was sought from all the eight accused but all of them deliberately refused to divulge the facts.

Eight suspects, including Imran Khan, have been found guilty of corruption and corrupt practices under the NAB Ordinance. The Accountability Court Registrar’s Office has started checking the reference, after completion of which the reference will be sent to the Accountability Court’s Administrative Judge Muhammad Bashir for further action.

It should be noted that Imran Khan is already arrested in this case and imprisoned in Adiala Jail while Bushra Bibi has taken interim bail. NAB has issued arrest warrants for other accused. It issued the arrest warrants for Shahzad Akbar on August 18, Zia-ul-Mustafa on October 13, Zulfi Bukhari on October 13, while the warrant for Farah Gogi was issued on November 21, after which the DG NAB Islamabad, IG Police Islamabad and IG Police Punjab were asked to arrest the accused and produce them in the respective court.

The reference mentions that the NAB acting chairman delegated the powers to authorise an inquiry to NAB director general, Rawalpindi, vide letter July 15, 2022. The DG authorised an inquiry on the same date, and subsequently on April 20, 2023, the NAB chairman upgraded the inquiry into an investigation.

That during the course of investigation, it transpired that on December 2, 2019, Shahzad Akbar presented a note to Imran Khan, the-then prime minister, which revealed that on the application by NCA, UK, an account freezing order (AFO) was generated by the District Judge at Westminster Magistrate’s Court order under section 303Z3 of the proceeds of Crime Act 2022 on December 14, 2018.

The said AFO was related to £20 million. On 12 August 2019, the NCA obtained further eight AFOs with about £119.7million in the accounts. The NCA’s investigation also included 1 Hyde Park Palace, London, a prime London property valued at approximately £50 million. The combined total value amounted to £190 million.

In April 2019, Imran Khan was extended illegal monetary benefit in the shape of land measuring 458 kanals 04 marlas 58 sq ft, through accused Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, disguised under the grab of donation to Al-Qadir Project Trust for which Imran was the founder and Bushra Bibi was the trustee. The evidence collected during the investigation further established that when the said monetary benefit was extended to Imran, neither the trust nor the university were in existence at that time.

Shahzad Akbar, in connivance with Imran, had already dishonestly and for ulterior motives signed and submitted a Deed of Confidentiality to the UK’s NCA on behalf of the Government of Pakistan on November 6, 2019, prior to the cabinet meeting of December 3, 2019. Barrister Zia-ul-Mustafa also dishonestly signed the Confidentiality Deed as a witness. The designated account mentioned in the Deed of Confidentiality was the account of the Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Imran chaired the cabinet meeting on 03.12.2019, during which the Deed of Confidentiality was presented and subsequently approved for signing by Shahzad Akbar. It is evident that Imran, in connivance with Shahzad Akbar and other co-accused, misled the cabinet regarding the prior signing of the Confidentiality Deed and failed to disclose that the funds had already been repatriated and diverted instead of benefitting the state of Pakistan.

According to Geo News, the anti-graft watchdog had requested the Ministry of Law and Justice to allow the trial in Adiala Jail considering the law and order situation. The ministry had already issued a notification on the trial of the PTI chairman in the £190 million NCA, UK, and Toshakhana cases in prison.

According to the notification issued by the ministry on Nov 28, the accountability court concerned would sit and conduct the trial of accused in the Central Prison, Adiala. “The federal government is pleased to accord approval that the accountability court concerned shall sit and conduct the trial of the accused (PTI chairman and former PM) and others in Central Prison, Adiala, with reference to the case regarding misuse of authority/ illegal sale of gifted state assets, etc. under Section 16(b) of NAB Ordinance, 1999,” the notification said.

Khalid Iqbal adds: Meanwhile, the Special Court ordered the hearing of the missing cipher in Adiala Jail on Saturday (today) after the Ministry of Law issued a notification in the court.

Earlier, Special Court judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the case registered against the PTI chief and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the Judicial Complex. On Friday, FIA Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, PTI lawyers Barrister Taimur, Shiraz Ranjha, Khalid Yusuf and others appeared before the court. Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s daughter Meher Bano and sisters of the PTI chairman were also present in the courtroom.

Barrister Taimur told the court that there was confusion about the venue -- whether it would be heard in Judicial Complex or Adiala Jail. The judge asked him to read his order, there’s no confusion in his order. He asked the lawyer whether the Ministry of Law issued any notification. If not, let’s wait for it or the accused will be produced before the court as ordered.

Judge Zulqarnain said the Islamabad High Court had not declared the hearings held so far illegal but had declared the trial illegal as it was not held in an open court.

PTI chief’s sister Aleema Khan came to rostrum and asked the judge when the notification would be issued. Judge Zulqarnain replied that if the notification of the Ministry of Law did not come, he would ask for it.

Later, the judge ordered a short break in proceedings. When the hearing resumed, the judge told the parties that the ministry’s notification had been received and adjourned the hearing for Saturday (today).