An accountability court in Rawalpindi, led by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, has reserved its verdict in the £190 million settlement case involving PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The court will announce its decision on December 3.
The trial concluded after the defense for Khan and his wife presented their final arguments. The prosecution had finished presenting their case the previous day.
During the year-long trial, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) presented testimonies from 35 witnesses, including notable figures such as Azam Khan, Pervez Khattak, and Zubaida Jalal.
The charges relate to an allegedly corrupt deal with a property tycoon, reportedly costing the national exchequer £190 million. Authorities indicted Khan and his wife on these charges on February 27 last year.
At the hearing’s start, NAB Prosecutor Amjad Pervez claimed the £190m graft case was the largest in Pakistan’s history, arguing the settlement adjustment broke the rules. “Our case focuses on illegal benefits,” he declared in court.
Defense counsel Barrister Salman Safdar argued the watchdog failed to prove any crime as the government held the funds. He asserted that no one gained or lost from the transaction. He also suggested that the case was politically motivated, especially regarding the Al-Qadir Trust University. Safdar insisted that Khan and Bushra Bibi received no financial benefits.
What is £190 million case?
The case centers on a NAB inquiry into a settlement reached during Khan’s government with a property tycoon, which allegedly led to a huge financial loss. The couple is accused of improperly adjusting Rs50 billion — about £190 million — from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of the settlement.
Bushra is implicated as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust. They are also accused of unlawfully benefiting from over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, designated for Al Qadir University.
The NCA had seized £190 million worth of assets from the tycoon in Britain during the PTI government. The agency clarified that the settlement was a civil matter and did not imply guilt.
Khan managed to get cabinet approval for the settlement on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the agreement’s details. The money was to be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon. Shortly after, the Al-Qadir Trust was set up in Islamabad once the government approved the agreement with the tycoon.
