An accountability court in Rawalpindi reserved its verdict on Wednesday in the £190 million reference involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana presided over the hearing at Adiala Jail, where the defence presented its final arguments. Defence lawyer Salman Safdar claimed the case was politically motivated, emphasizing that the accused had been cleared in previous cases. He argued that the reference unfairly targeted the couple while excluding Hasan Nawaz, who allegedly benefitted from the funds.
The defence also criticized the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for focusing the case on Malik Riaz without including him in the investigation and for shifting its stance during the trial. NAB’s prosecutor, Amjad Pervez, contended that the case involved violations of the 1973 Rules of Business, asserting that any funds or donations received by a public officeholder legally belong to the state.
Over the course of the year-long trial, testimonies from 35 witnesses were recorded and cross-examined by the defence. The proceedings saw three changes of judges and required 38 hearings to complete the cross-examination of the investigation officer.
The accused were given 15 opportunities to record statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code but did not present any witnesses in their defence. NAB also submitted documents referencing rulings from Pakistani high courts and the Indian Supreme Court. However, the court dismissed the defence’s request to call 16 individuals as judicial witnesses.
Bushra Bibi secured pre-arrest bail from the trial court, while Imran Khan was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court. Their acquittal requests were denied, leaving the decision to the trial court.
The court has announced that the verdict will be delivered on Monday.
