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Tuesday February 18, 2025

£190m case verdict deferred for third time

Judge says that Bushra Bibi was aware of verdict being announced but failed to appear

By Khalid Iqbal & Mumtaz Alvi
January 14, 2025
Former prime minister Imran Khan (centre) with his wife Bushra Bibi (left) arrive to appear at a high court in Lahore on May 15, 2023. — AFP
Former prime minister Imran Khan (centre) with his wife Bushra Bibi (left) arrive to appear at a high court in Lahore on May 15, 2023. — AFP

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the Special Accountability Court has postponed the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case against former chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for the third time. The decision has now been deferred until January 17.The court cited the absence of both the accused and their lawyers as the reason for the delay.

Judge Rana remarked that Bushra Bibi was aware of the verdict being announced today but failed to appear, while Imran Khan was also informed twice but did not attend the hearing. The judge said, “Neither the accused nor their lawyers have been present in court since 8:30am even though the verdict is completely ready and signed.” He said that the accused had been given multiple opportunities during the trial. Explaining the delay, judge Rana said, “The verdict, initially reserved on December 18, was set for announcement on December 23. However, due to my training commitments, the date was moved to January 6 and later to January 13. Unfortunately, it has now been postponed once again to January 17.”

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan spoke to the media, expressing dissatisfaction with the delay. He claimed that the court staff had informed both the defence and prosecution that the verdict would be delivered at 11am. “We arrived at the court, along with the founder’s family and Bushra Bibi, but before we could go inside, we were informed that the verdict had been postponed,” he said.

Barrister Gohar questioned the necessity of the accused’s presence for the verdict to be announced, citing the Tosha Khana case as an example where a decision was delivered in the absence of Bushra Bibi. When asked about the prosecution’s claim that court staff had not communicated a specific time for the verdict, Gohar responded, “Where is it written that if no one arrives by 10am, the court should proceed with the decision? Everyone was outside waiting for another hour. If we had not arrived, would the court have still announced the verdict? The accused’s presence is not mandatory for this.” He said, “It would have been appropriate for the court to wait another half hour and resolve the matter.”

Speaking at a presser, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Syed Shibli Faraz said that the verdict in the Al-Qadir case was not announced on Monday, adding that it was the authorities’ responsibility to present Imran Khan in court Along with senior party leaders, Shibli Faraz said, “The court did not announce the decision Monday, and it was claimed that Imran Khan did not appear in court. However, he is in jail, and it is the authorities’ job to present him.” He said that the Al-Qadir University was established by Imran Khan in line with his vision of the State of Madina, reflecting the personal and Islamic identity of Muslims. “We need a platform to study the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Khan Sahib built this university with this vision. By fabricating a corruption case against it, these people will be held accountable both in this world and the hereafter,” he warned.

PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said a misunderstanding had been propagated in this case. He explained that Malik Riaz had purchased a property in the UK, which raised concerns among institutions there over its high value. Although no case moved forward, a settlement was reached, and it was agreed to repatriate the money to Pakistan. “Malik Riaz had brought this money to Pakistan on his initiative. He was required to deposit a portion with the Supreme Court, which he did. All this happened without any intervention from the Pakistani government. Our only request was that this matter not be debated in Pakistan,” he clarified. Salman Akram Raja regretted that facts were distorted, leading to allegations that the money was given to Imran Khan. “Not a single penny of this money was spent by him. The funds remain in the Pakistani government’s treasury,” he asserted.

PTI senior leader and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub termed the Al-Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi “fake,” emphasising that the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had sent £190 million to the Supreme Court, which then deposited the amount with the government treasury. He said that neither Imran Khan nor had Bushra Bibi derived any personal benefits from these funds. “The Al-Qadir University was set up to teach the Seerat Nabwi (peace be upon him),” he said. Omar Ayub criticised Faisal Vawda and Khawaja Asif, saying, “They started speaking and gave their verdicts. Are they judges? Where did they get the verdict? Who authored it?” Meanhwile, Senator Talal Chaudhry, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership of creating a false narrative about negotiating a deal with the government to evade accountability.

Speaking to the media alongside Minister for Information, Broadcasting, Heritage, and Culture Attaullah Tarar, Chaudhry stressed that no leniency would be granted to those involved in the £190 million corruption scandal. He said that the case had directly implicated the PTI founder and his spouse, accusing them of employing delaying tactics to avoid accountability. Chaudhry highlighted the contradiction between the PTI founder’s claim of building a “Riasat-e-Madina” and the corruption allegations against him, particularly concerning the misappropriation of Toshakhana gifts. Criticising the PTI leadership, he said, “While they present themselves as champions of Islamic values, their actions resemble those of Yazeed.” He also accused the PTI government of misusing state resources and donating a portion of funds to charity to craft a false image of generosity, raising questions about the party’s authenticity.

Talal Chaudhry firmly rejected PTI’s claims that the government had offered to relocate the PTI founder to Nathiagali or place him under house arrest at his Banigala residence. “These claims are fabricated by PTI, and no such offer was made by the government,” he asserted. He further clarified that no amnesty or concession, similar to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), would be extended to those responsible for the violence on May 9. Instead of defending their cases in court, Chaudhry alleged, PTI leaders appear more focused on striking deals with the government. Accusing the PTI of concealing the £190 million corruption scandal, Chaudhry claimed that the Al-Qadir Trust was established as part of a secret agreement to cover it up. He revealed that the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had investigated the scandal, recovered the stolen funds, and repatriated them to Pakistan. Chaudhry also accused Shehzad Akbar, a key figure in the PTI government, of holding regular meetings with a prominent land developer and implicated the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi in corruption that he claimed had caused significant harm to the country. Praising former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry said that Sharif allowed the law to take its course in his cases, even returning from London to face verdicts. In contrast, he criticised the PTI founder for using delaying tactics to prolong his legal battles.