The Al Qadir Trust case, which led to the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, is rooted in a series of events involving property tycoon Malik Riaz, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and allegations of bribery and corruption.
In December 2018, the NCA began investigating the property and assets belonging to Malik Riaz in the UK. They suspected that over £100 million in eight bank accounts was derived from bribery and corruption in Pakistan.
In August 2019, the NCA froze these accounts and reached a £190 million settlement with Riaz’s family, which included a valuable property in London.
In Pakistan, the Supreme Court discovered that Riaz’s real estate firm, Bahria Town Ltd, had illegally acquired thousands of acres of land. The court accepted Riaz’s offer to settle the dues by paying Rs 460 billion. However, the recovered funds were transferred to the Supreme Court’s accounts rather than the Government of Pakistan’s account, sparking controversy.
In June 2022, an alleged audio leak involving Malik Riaz and his daughter suggested that Imran Khan and his wife had accepted bribes in money and land to protect Bahria Town from a money laundering case. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah subsequently accused the couple of these allegations, and the federal cabinet formed a committee to investigate their involvement.
Read: PTI Chief Imran Khan Arrested at Islamabad Judicial Complex
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) tightened its grip on Malik Riaz and Imran Khan’s close aides by asking them to appear before it on December 1. The NAB also sent notices to 21 of Imran Khan’s cabinet members as part of its ongoing inquiries into multiple corruption cases.
On the day of Imran Khan’s arrest, he attended a hearing at the Islamabad High Court for an unrelated case. However, rangers personnel apprehended him outside the court premises. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed that the arrest was made by NAB officials specifically for the Al-Qadir Trust case, adding that there were numerous other corruption cases under investigation against the former prime minister.
Read: Islamabad High Court Rules Imran Khan’s Arrest Legal in Al-Qadir Trust Case
As the case unfolds, it is expected to reveal further details on the extent of the alleged corruption, the involvement of key political figures, and the possible ramifications for those implicated in the scandal.
