- FIA court rejects pleas for suspect couple to be acquitted.
- A special court had reserved its verdict on November 8.
- The former first lady is currently out on bail in the case.
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi will be charged in the new Toshakhana case on November 18.
The indictment date of the couple was announced by a special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which also rejected pleas for acquittal filed by the former prime minister and ex-first lady in the said case.
The court had reserved its verdict on the suspects’ requests for acquittal on November 8.
The case in question concerns an alleged illegal sale of a jewelry set given to Bushra by the Saudi crown prince when her husband Khan was the country’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
However, this case should not be confused with the first Toshakhana case in which the couple was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined 1.57 billion rupees – 787 million rupees each – in January.
The sentence handed down to the couple in the first (old) Toshakhana case was stayed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in April.
The announcement of the indictment date in the new Toshakhana case comes as the former first lady, last month, was released from Adiala Prison after months of incarceration after the IHC accepted her application for bail against a surety bond of Rs 1 million.
The former first lady’s release sparked rumors that the development was the result of a deal – a proposition categorically denied by the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub.
“The release of Bushra (Bibi) is not part of any agreement,” the PTI leader had remarked.
It is noteworthy that Khan and Bushra were arrested in this case soon after their acquittal by the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad in the iddat case – also known as the nikah non case Islamic.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) later filed a new complaint against the couple, accusing them of causing losses to the National Treasury.
What is the case?
In its reference, the accountability watchdog said the deputy military secretary had asked the Toshakhana section officer to estimate and declare the price of the jewelry set. The set of jewelry, he clarified, was not left in Toshakhana.
The jewelry company sold the necklace for €300,000 and the earrings for €80,000 on May 25, 2018. Information regarding the price of the bracelet and ring could not be obtained from the company.
On May 28, 2021, the price of the set was estimated at Rs70.56 million; the price of the necklace was Rs50.64 million and the price of the earrings included in the jewelry was then estimated at Rs10.50 million.
According to the reference, the PTI founder and his wife violated the NAB order. He added that an investigation was initiated against the former first couple on the instructions of the NAB Chairman on August 1, 2022.
“The PTI founder and Bushra Bibi abused their powers. The PTI founder kept 58 of the 108 gifts during his tenure as Prime Minister,” the reference read.