£190 million case verdict against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi delayed for third time

The National Accountability Bureau court on Monday deferred the announcement of the reserved verdict in the £190 million case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and six others.

The verdict was initially scheduled to be announced on December 23 but was postponed to January 6 due to winter vacations. However, on January 6, the decision could not be pronounced as Judge Nasir Javed Rana was on leave.

The conclusion of the case was expected to be pronounced today (January 13), but it could not be materialised as Judge Nasir Javed Rana left the Adiala Jail and the hearing adjourned until January 17.

It is important to note that the trial has taken a year to complete. During this period, NAB gathered statements from at least 35 witnesses.

Former Principal Secretary Azam Khan, former Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, and former Federal Minister Zubaida Jalal were key witnesses in the £190 million reference, and their statements were recorded by the prosecutor.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were indicted in the £190 million reference on February 27 last year.

In December 2023, NAB filed a corruption reference against Imran Khan and seven others, including his wife, in connection with Al-Qadir University.

NAB alleged that Imran and Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for legalising a project worth Rs50 billion, which was identified and returned to Pakistan by the UK during the PTI government.

What is Al-Qadir Trust case?

NAB's reference accused Imran of playing a primary role in illegally using state funds to benefit Malik Riaz.

In 2019, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) investigated Malik Riaz's assets and froze his accounts. As a result of these investigations, Malik Riaz deposited an amount of 190 million pounds with the NCA as part of a settlement agreement.

The NCA had stated that the 190 million pounds received as a result of this settlement was the property of the State of Pakistan, which was transferred to Pakistan.

When the £190 million payment arrived in Pakistan, it was meant to be deposited into the government’s account. However, under a cabinet decision, the money was transferred to the Supreme Court’s account, where Malik Riaz has been paying installments through a Rs460 billion settlement in the Bahria Town Karachi case. In that case, he was found guilty of illegally acquiring thousands of acres of land.

According to NAB, the money seized from the accused was returned to the same individual, Malik Riaz. Although the money rightfully belonged to the State of Pakistan, it was used to settle Riaz's personal debt.

This decision was made in a 2019 cabinet meeting chaired by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and the record of this meeting was sealed, labeling the matter as sensitive.

The details of the agreement between the NCA and Malik Riaz were also kept confidential. After the NCA's involvement, the Pakistani government did not reveal to the public or media how the state's money was again utilized by Malik Riaz.

According to NAB, Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz donated 458 kanals, 4 marlas, and 58 square feet of land located in Mouza Barkala, Tehsil Sohawa, District Jhelum to Imran Khan and his wife for Al-Qadir Trust University. In return, Imran Khan allegedly provided Malik Riaz with a benefit of Rs50 billion.

NAB maintained that despite multiple opportunities to explain and provide information, Imran allegedly refused to cooperate, deliberately withholding details with ill intentions.

Property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari were also among the suspects in the reference. However, the court declared them absconders as they neither joined the investigation nor attended court proceedings.

Shahzad Akbar signed the National Crime Agency confidentiality deed on December 6, 2019. Bushra Bibi played a key role in the illegal activities of the PTI founder, assisting him by signing the Al-Qadir University documents as a trustee on March 24, 2021.

Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of Imran Khan's wife, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal expert for PTI's Assets Recovery Unit, were declared proclaimed offenders (POs). As a result, the properties of all six accused individuals have been frozen.

The reference stated that despite “multiple opportunities to justify and provide information, they deliberately concealed it with malafide intentions.”

“Furthermore, it is evident from their responses that they have no defense to refute the above-mentioned allegations. Thus, they have all committed an offense under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).”

The reference emphasized that this was a “just and proper” case to proceed against the eight suspects, as NAB possesses “sufficient incriminating evidence” to justify the reference.