PTI Chairman Imran Khan Interrogated by NAB in £190m UK Settlement Case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) questioned Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for four hours in connection with the widely publicized £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK settlement case.

The NAB panel presented a questionnaire requesting responses backed by documentary proof. The queries included money transfers, cabinet clearance, land allocation for the Al-Qadir Trust, and a record of donations. Furthermore, the confidentiality of the summary and its approval without discussion by the cabinet was also probed.

Khan, according to sources, explained to the NAB that his former accountability aide Shahzad Akbar supervised the entire NCA process, and he was not directly involved, merely receiving oral briefings. Khan suggested that Akbar, currently in London, should be called upon for further investigation.

It is reported that Khan stated the property tycoon was inspired by the Al-Qadir University Trust’s vision, leading to his donation of the land for its foundation.

Originally, both Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were summoned by the NAB on June 7, but a delay was requested. The NAB team rescheduled the PTI leader’s summoning to June 8, with Bushra Bibi due to appear on June 13.

Khan, along with his wife and other PTI leaders, is facing a NAB inquiry relating to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which allegedly caused a £190 million loss to the national exchequer.

The charges assert that Khan and the other accused improperly adjusted Rs50 billion — equivalent to 190 million pounds at the time — received from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of the agreement with the property tycoon. They are also suspected of benefiting unduly from over 458 canals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, used to establish Al Qadir University.

The UK’s NCA confiscated assets worth 190 million pounds from the property tycoon during the PTI administration. The NCA stated that the assets would be transferred to the Pakistani government and that the settlement with the property tycoon was civil, not indicative of guilt.

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

A few months post-cabinet approval, the property tycoon transferred 458 canals of land to Bukhari, a close associate of Khan, who then passed it onto the trust.

Later, Bukhari and Awan stepped down as trustees. The trust is now registered in the names of Khan, Bushra Bibi, and Farah.

According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife procured land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon to establish an educational institute in exchange for offering legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money obtained from the UK crime agency.