RAWALPINDI : An accountability court on Friday sentenced former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to jail terms in the 190 million pounds Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.According to the verdict, Imran Khan will serve 14-year imprisonment and Bushra Bibi has been jailed for seven years.
Besides jail term, Imran Khan has been fined Rs1 million and Bushra Bibi half a million rupees. In case of failure to pay fine, Imran will have to undergo six months’ additional imprisonment and Bushra Bibi for three months. The court also ordered authorities to take control of Al-Qadir University.
After pronouncement of the verdict, Bushra Bibi was taken into custody from the courtroom. Judge Nasir Javed Rana of anti-corruption court announced the verdict in Adiala Jail after the scheduled 11:30am time.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were brought to the temporary courtroom on the jail premises, where the judge was present. PTI lawyer Barrister Salman Akram Raja, and Bushra Bibi’s daughter and son-in-law also were in court to hear the verdict.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, along with Shoaib Shaheen, also reached court. Gohar told media persons that there would be no more delay in the judgement. He said the PTI would accept the decision and demanded justice the party had been denied in the last two years. Earlier, Barrister Saif said the verdict would be announced and there would be no more delay.
The court had completed the hearing of the case on Dec 18 but reserved the judgement until Dec 23. Later, the court fixed Jan 6 as the new date for announcing the verdict and then Jan 13, but it was delayed thrice.
The 190 million pounds case involves a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and others in December 2023.
The case centres around an alleged settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to Pakistan’s national exchequer.
Khan and the other accused are alleged to have misused 190 million pounds sent by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of the settlement. Bushra Bibi was named an accused for her role as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust.
Additionally, the couple is accused of receiving undue benefits, including over 458 kanal in Mauza Bakrala, Sohawa, for the establishment of Al-Qadir University.
During Khan’s tenure, the NCA seized 190 million pounds worth of assets from the tycoon. The assets were meant to be handed to Pakistan, with the settlement deemed a civil matter by the NCA.
However, the details of the confidential agreement were not disclosed when Khan’s cabinet approved it in December 2019. Subsequently, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad.
