- Former Prime Minister Imran Khan did not attend the previous hearing on January 13.
- Al-Qadir Trust case verdict reserved for December 18, 2024.
- The PTI founder called the postponement of the verdict a “pressure tactic”.
RAWALPINDI: The much-awaited verdict in the ₹190 million case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi is set to be announced today after being postponed three times.
The judgment – made public on December 18, 2024 – will be announced today at 11:30 a.m. by accountability court judge Nasir Javed in a makeshift court at Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, which court staff informed the court of lawyers of the founder of the PTI.
The case is among the plethora of legal challenges facing the incarcerated PTI founder who has been behind bars for over a year after being convicted in the Toshakhana-I case.
The previous hearing was adjourned without revealing the verdict after the judge expressed dismay at the accused’s failure to appear, leading to the judgment being postponed until January 17.
Khan previously claimed the verdict – initially delayed to December 23, 2024, then again to January 6, 2025 – was postponed to “put pressure on him”. However, he did not appear at the previous hearing, held on January 13, when no member of the defense was present either.
Al-Qadir Trust case
The couple, along with others, were accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in its December 2023 report of allegedly adjusting 50 billion rupees – £190 million at the time – sent by National Crime British Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the deal with a real estate tycoon.
Subsequently, the then Prime Minister obtained approval from his cabinet for the settlement with the UK crime agency on December 3, 2019, without disclosing details of the confidential agreement.
It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.
According to NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife got land worth billions of rupees from the real estate tycoon to build an educational institution, in return for entering into a deal to to give legal cover to the real estate tycoon’s black money received from the British crime agency. .
Later, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad weeks after the PTI-led government approved the deal with the real estate tycoon.
One year trial
The accountability watchdog arrested the PTI founder on November 13 last year in connection with the said case. The NAB then interrogated Khan and Bushra for 17 days in Adiala jail.
The trial began after the NAB referral was filed in December 2023. On February 27, 2024, charges were officially filed against the couple.
Notable witnesses against the PTI founder included his former cabinet member Pervez Khattak, former federal minister Zubaida Jalal, former principal secretary Azam Khan and chief financial officer of Al-Qadir University.
The court also declared six co-accused, including Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi, Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa Nasim, absconders, ordering freezing of their assets and bank accounts.
During the proceedings, the Islamabad High Court granted bail to the disqualified former prime minister in a reference of ₹190 million, while the trial court approved the release on bail prior to Bushra’s arrest.
The PTI founder submitted a list of 16 witnesses to the court, but the request for summons was rejected.
During the course of the case, four judges were replaced by Justice Muhammad Bashir, Justice Nasir Javed Rana, Justice Muhammad Ali Warraich and then again Justice Rana who was presiding over the hearings.