NAB summons Imran in ‘£190m scandal' on 23rd

PTI chairman ignored previous call-up notice by anti-graft body for 18th

ISLAMABAD:

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday summoned PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan on May 23 at 10am at its Rawalpindi headquarters again in a scandal involving £190 million -- earlier known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The anti-graft body summoned the former premier on May 18 too in connection with the case retitled from  the ‘Al-Qadir Trust reference' to ‘National Crime Agency £190 million scandal’  but he skipped it.

In his written reply, Imran had maintained that the amended National Accountability Ordinance was in conflict with the Constitution.

The PTI chief requested NAB to send him an inquiry report.

He termed the transformation of an inquiry into an investigation in contradiction with the law.

“I’m currently in Lahore to secure bails in various cases on the orders of the IHC till May 22, therefore cannot appear before NAB in person,” Imran wrote in his reply.

He alleged that the motive behind turning an inquiry into an investigation was to politically victimise him.

A two-member team of NAB Lahore visited Imran’s Zaman Park residence in the city and returned after delivering the notice.

Speaking on the occasion, one of the NAB officials told the media that they had arrived to hand over the summon in connection with the £190 million scandal.

He added that Imran’s lawyers had received the notice.

On May 9, Imran was arrested in connection with the case from the premises of the Islamabad High Court by dozens of Rangers personnel, triggering countrywide protests.

However, on May 11, the Supreme Court came to his rescue, declaring that his arrest was “illegal” and ordered his release.

On May 12, the Islamabad High Court stopped the authorities from arresting the PTI chairman in any case, including undisclosed ones, filed against him anywhere in the country till May 15.

It also granted the PTI chief interim bail for two weeks in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

NAB launched an investigation against Imran, his wife Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al-Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer.

According to the charges, the deposed premier and others allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion -- £190 million at the time -- sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

They also face charges of receiving undue benefits in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala in Sohawa to set up the Al-Qadir University.

During the PTI government, Britain's NCA seized assets worth £190 million from a property tycoon in Britain.

The agency said the assets would be passed to the Pakistani government.

It added that the settlement with the Pakistani property tycoon was “a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt”.

Later, then prime minister Imran acquired approval of the settlement with the Britain’s crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement.

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