A responsible court on Friday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and his wife Bushra Bibi to 7 years in a £190 million case.
Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the order in a courtroom inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Imran has been detained for over a year.
Justice Rana had reserved his judgment in the case on December 18, while adjourning the case till December 23. However, on December 23, the court postponed the announcement of the order without giving any reason.
On January 6, the next date of hearing, the verdict was once again not disclosed as the judge attended a training session arranged for all district and sessions judges.
Before the final hearing of the case, court staff informed the lawyers for Imran and Bushra that the judge would announce the verdict on January 13, but on that day the court once again postponed the announcement of its verdict after Imran Khan and his wife failed . to appear in court.
What’s the deal on £190m?
The case alleges that Imran Khan and others involved adjusted Rs50 billion – equivalent to £190 million at the time – which was transferred by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government.
As Prime Minister, Khan obtained cabinet approval for this settlement on 3 December 2019 without disclosing the confidential details of the agreement. The scheme had stipulated that the funds were to be submitted to the Supreme Court.
According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife received land worth billions of rupees meant for the construction of an educational institute.
NAB filed the reference on December 1, 2023 against eight accused persons including Imran and his wife. On January 6, 2024, the court declared the rest of the six accused as declared offenders as they did not face trial and fled abroad. The court indicted Imran and Bushra on 27 February 2024. The prosecution presented 35 witnesses, which the defense later cross-examined.
Key witnesses in the case included former principal secretary to the prime minister Azam Khan, former defense minister Pervez Khattak and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
Three different judges presided over the case at different stages of the trial, while the last investigating officer, Mian Umar Nadeem, was cross-examined after 38 hearings.
The accountability court gave the accused 15 opportunities to complete their statements in accordance with section 342. However, no witnesses were produced by the defence.
