Islamabad [Pakistan], January 13 (ANI): An accountability court in Rawalpindi on Monday postponed the announcement of its verdict involving former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for the third time in the Pound 190 million case, The Express Tribune reported.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana stated that the verdict had been deferred due to the absence of the accused and their lawyers, The Express Tribune reported. Rana said that he reached the court at 8:30 am (local time) and issued two summons for Imran Khan to appear, however, both he and his wife did not show up in the court.
The prosecution team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), along with the media and court staff, were in attendance in the courtroom. However, no one from the defence was present in the court.
As a result of the absence of both the accused and their lawyers, the judge decided to delay the verdict. The verdict will now be announced on January 17. Previously, the Accountability Court postponed the verdict in the case twice. The last hearing was held at Adiala Jail on December 18, 2024, according to The Express Tribune report.
Initially, the verdict of the case was set for December 23, 2024. However, the court delayed it and rescheduled it for January 6. Then, the new date for announcing the verdict was set for January 13. The trial of the Pound 190 million case was completed within a year. It is the only case involving Imran Khan that has taken one year to conclude.
On November 13, 2023, the NAB arrested PTI founder Imran Khan. On February 27, 2024, the court indicted Imran Khan and his wife. During the trial, statements from 35 witnesses were recorded in the case. During the trial, the case involved four different judges.
Initially, Judge Mohammad Bashir heard the case, followed by Judge Nasir Javed Rana. Judge Mohammad Ali Waraich presided over the hearings, before returning it to Judge Nasir Javed Rana for the final proceedings. The accountability court gave 15 opportunities to the accused to complete their statements under Section 342. However, the defence did not present any witness, The Express Tribune reported.
The six-member NAB prosecution team led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, including special prosecutors Amjad Pervaiz, Sohail Arif, Irfan Bola, Barrister Owais Arshad, and Chaudhry Nawaz, handled the case. The defence team included Barrister Salman Safdar, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas and Usman Gul among others.
The case alleges that Imran Khan and others involved adjusted Pound 190 million at the time–that was transferred by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government, according to The Express Tribune reported.
As Pakistan’s PM, Khan got cabinet approval for this settlement on December 3, 2019, without revealing the confidential details of the agreement. The arrangement required that the funds would be given to the Supreme Court. According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife got land worth billions of rupees intended for establishing an educational institute. (ANI)
