Imran Khan handed 14-year term, Bushra Bibi 7-year in £190 million case
Judge Nasir Javed Rana of anti-corruption court will announce the verdict in Adiala Jail at 11:30 am
RAWALPINDI :An anti-corruption court on Friday sentenced former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to jail terms in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
Imran Khan will serve 14 years imprisonment while Bushra Bibi was jailed for seven years. Besides jail ter, Imran was fined Rs1 million and Bushra Bibi half a million rupees. In case of failure to pay fine, Imran will have to undergo six months imprisonment. The court also ordered to confiscate the land of Al-Qadir University.
After pronouncement of verdict, Bushra Bibi was taken into custody from the courtroom.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana of anti-corruption court announced the verdict in Adiala Jail after the scheduled 11:30 am.
It may be recalled that the court had completed the hearing of the case on December 18 but reserved the judgment until December 23. Later, the court fixed January 6 as the new date for announcing the verdict and then January 13, but it was delayed every time.
WHAT IS THE CASE?
The 190 million pound case involves a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and others in December 2023.
The case centers around an alleged settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of £190 million to Pakistan’s national exchequer.
Khan and the other accused are alleged to have misused £190 million sent by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of the settlement. Bushra Bibi was named as an accused for her role as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust.
Additionally, the couple is accused of receiving undue benefits, including over 458 kanals of land in Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, for the establishment of Al-Qadir University.
During Khan’s tenure, the NCA seized £190 million worth of assets from the tycoon. The assets were meant to be handed to Pakistan, with the settlement deemed a civil matter by the NCA.
However, the details of the confidential agreement were not disclosed when Khan’s cabinet approved it in December 2019. Subsequently, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad.
