Pakistan’s Ex-PM Imran Khan And Wife Bushra Bibi Indicted In £190 Million Reference Case

(CTN News) – An accountability court in Rawalpindi officially charged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Tuesday in a £190 million reference case.

The proceedings took place at Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan is currently held in custody for Toshakhana, cipher, and illegal marriage cases, presided over by Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana.

In the courtroom, Judge Rana presented the charge sheet to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Deputy Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and his team also present.

The case revolves around allegations of the acquisition of extensive land under the guise of Al Qadir University Trust, resulting in a reported loss of £190 million to the national treasury.

The court announced the intention to record statements from 58 witnesses during the proceedings.

Imran Khan was directly addressed by the judge during the indictment, to which he responded assertively, expressing his familiarity with the contents of the charge sheet. Both Imran Khan and his wife denied the charges leveled against them.

During the hearing, Imran Khan emphasized expediting the case, pointing out a perceived haste by NAB prior to February 8. He also raised concerns about delayed medical attention, prompting the court to approve his request for a general physician and dentist examination.

Subsequently, PTI’s legal counsel requested copies of the references, stressing their significance for the case. NAB’s deputy speaker assured the provision of all witness statements to the defense team.

The court adjourned the hearing until March 6, ordering the attendance of five NAB witnesses at the next session.

Imran Khan And Wife Bushra Bibi £190 Million Reference Case

The PTI founder is currently facing corruption charges involving billions of rupees in a case linked to a property tycoon.

Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is under investigation by NAB concerning a settlement between the PTI government and the property tycoon, allegedly resulting in a £190 million loss to the national treasury.

According to the charges, Khan and the other accused purportedly utilized Rs50 billion — equivalent to £190 million at the time — transferred by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to Pakistan as part of the agreement with the property tycoon.

Additionally, they are accused of receiving undue benefits, including over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, for the establishment of Al Qadir University.

During the tenure of the PTI government, the NCA seized assets worth 190 million pounds from a British property tycoon.

The agency clarified that these assets would be transferred to the Pakistani government, emphasizing that the settlement with the property tycoon was a civil matter and did not imply guilt.

Subsequently, then-Prime Minister Khan obtained approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement.

It was decided that the funds would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.

Following this, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad shortly after the PTI-led government approved the agreement with the property tycoon. Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi, and her close friend Farah Khan were appointed as initial members of the trust.

Within two to three months of the cabinet’s approval, the property tycoon transferred 458 canals of land to Bukhari, a close associate of Khan, who later transferred it to the trust.

Subsequently, Bukhari and Awan resigned as trustees, and the trust is now registered under the names of Khan, Bushra Bibi, and Farah.

NAB officials were initially investigating allegations of power misuse in the process of recovering “dirty money” received from the UK crime agency. The inquiry was subsequently upgraded to an investigation following the emergence of compelling evidence in the case.

According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife acquired land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon to establish an educational institution in exchange for providing legal protection to the property tycoon’s illicit funds received from the UK crime agency.

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