£190m case: IHC asks why former PM’s assistant signed agreement

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court questioned during a hearing of the bail application of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan in the 190-million-pound case why the prime minister’s assistant was signing the agreement between the NCA and a property businessman.

The court observed that it was a private agreement between the NCA and the property tycoon, asking how this matter came before the cabinet and was approved by the prime minister.

Imran Khan’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa said the NCA had stipulated the approval of the cabinet for the return of money and Shahzad Akbar placed a note before the cabinet, which approved it. He said Khan as prime minister approved the note so that the money could come back to Pakistan and he was not a beneficiary.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the bail application of the PTI founder, who has been arrested in the 190-million-pound NAB case.

The court took exception to the no-show of the investigation officer and asked why he did not appear and whether it should issue a warrant to ensure his appearance.

The applicant’s counsel Latif Khosa said the NCA had frozen the amount in the UK, which was transferred to Pakistan through an agreement. The frozen amount of 190 million pounds was sent to Pakistan after tax deductions and 171 million pounds were transferred to the Supreme Court’s account, which was returned to the Government of Pakistan by the Supreme Court on 23 November 2023.

Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri inquired how the money came to the account of the Supreme Court, and if this money was proceeds of crime, and why it was frozen. The lawyer replied that it was a suspicious amount which was later cleared and later a “deed of confidentiality” was signed in which Shahzad Akbar was the signatory.

He said Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were not among the beneficiaries of this money. He said the property tycoon provided 458 kanals of land for a university in Sohawa, which was first transferred to Zulfi Bukhari and then to a trust whose trustees are the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi.

He said the property tycoon purchased the land and then built a university over it where now the students were studying.

Latif Khosa said the institutes founded by the PTI founder are state of the art and only Shaukat Khanum spends Rs9 billion rupees annually and people have trust in it so they give them funds. He said Al-Qadir University was not the first project of Imran Khan. The court directed NAB special prosecutor Amjad Pervez to argue on the application and adjourned the matter till April 29.