Toshakhana case adjourned: Court orders declaring Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi proclaimed offenders in £190m case

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has adjourned the hearing of Imran Khan’s bail application in the Toshakhana case until December 11.

The court convened for the Toshakhana case at Adiala Jail on Thursday. Imran Khan’s lawyer, Latif Khosa, did not appear, leading to the adjournment of the hearing without any proceedings.

Meanwhile, the accountability court has issued a written order to initiate the process of declaring Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, and others as suspected proclaimed offenders in the £190 million case. 

The court issued a written order directing the placement of proclamations outside the residences of the suspects. According to the order, the investigating officer of the reference reported that the arrest warrants against the suspects involved in the reference —- Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Ziaul Mustafa Naseem, Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi and others —- could not be executed. The investigation officer’s report indicated that the suspects were intentionally not complying with the arrest warrants, with the motive to undermine the justice system. The order stated the court was satisfied that the suspects were absconders and hiding to avoid arrests. Notices were being issued against absconding suspects for being proclaimed offenders under Section 87. Proclamations should be posted outside the residences of the suspects. They should also be announced in native and residential areas of suspects, the order stated. Further proceedings against the suspects are scheduled for January 6, 2024.