An accountability court in Rawalpindi postponed its verdict in the £190 million case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for the third time on Monday.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana cited the absence of both the accused and their legal representatives as the reason for the delay, according to Express News. The judge noted he arrived at the court at 8:30 am and issued two summons for Khan’s appearance, but neither he nor Bushra Bibi showed up.
While the prosecution team from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), media personnel, and court staff were present, no one from the defense attended the proceedings. Consequently, the court rescheduled the announcement of the verdict for January 17.
This marks the third postponement of the ruling in this case. The last hearing took place on December 18, 2024, at Adiala Jail. Initially, the verdict was slated for December 23, 2024, but it was deferred twice, with the new date set for January 13 before being pushed again to January 17.
Case Timeline and Details
The £190 million reference, involving allegations of misappropriation of funds transferred by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government, was concluded within a year. It is the only case against Imran Khan that has been resolved in such a timeframe.
NAB arrested Imran Khan on November 13, 2023, and formally indicted him and Bushra Bibi on February 27, 2024. During the trial, statements from 35 witnesses were recorded, including testimonies from former principal secretary Azam Khan, ex-chief minister Pervez Khattak, and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
The case saw four different judges presiding at various stages. It began under Judge Mohammad Bashir, transitioned to Judge Nasir Javed Rana, later to Judge Mohammad Ali Waraich, and finally returned to Judge Nasir Javed Rana for the concluding hearings.
Despite being given 15 opportunities under Section 342 to present their statements, the accused did not call any witnesses in their defense.
Legal Teams
A six-member NAB prosecution team, led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, handled the case. The team included special prosecutors Amjad Pervaiz, Sohail Arif, Irfan Bola, Barrister Owais Arshad, and Chaudhry Nawaz.
The defense team was comprised of Barrister Salman Safdar, Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas, Usman Gul, and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, among others.
Allegations
The case revolves around allegations that Imran Khan and others adjusted Rs50 billion (£190 million) transferred by the NCA to Pakistan. As Prime Minister, Khan allegedly secured cabinet approval for the settlement on December 3, 2019, without disclosing key details.
NAB claims that instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, Khan and Bushra Bibi received land worth billions of rupees, purportedly allocated for constructing an educational institute.
