Judge orders Imran to be presented in court on Nov 27 in £190 million case

Court approves four-day physical remand instead of requested 10 days

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has to be presented in court on November 27 in the £190 million settlement case, as per the detailed order issued by the accountability court on Friday.

Following the last hearing, the court, led by Judge Muhammad Bashir, issued a comprehensive five-page order, extending the physical remand of the former prime minister by four days. The move followed deputy prosecutor general NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi's request for an additional 10-day remand.

According to the order, advocate Ali Zafar responded to NAB summons on November 23, appearing at its offices with the pertinent record, including an agreement signed on March 24, 2021. The anti-graft watchdog told the court that the investigation into the money transferred to the national treasury necessitated an extension in the remand.

The defense team objected to the extension, and submitted two letters. One of them, dated November 6, 2019, pertained to Mashreq Bank, the court was informed, adding that the letter emphasized that Imran had no involvement in the fund transfers.

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Contrary to NAB's stance, the prosecution maintained that Imran played no role in the transfer of 240 kanals of land. His counsel underscored his contributions, mentioning the establishment of two cancer hospitals, with a third one currently under construction in Karachi.

NAB argued that the record presented by advocate Ali Zafar required to be investigated, following which the court approved the PTI chief's four-day physical remand, instead of the requested 10 days. The court set November 27 as the next date for the PTI chief to be presented in court.

Previously, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared the law ministry’s notifications about Imran’s jail trial — issued on August 29, September 12, September 25, October 3, and October 13 — were “without lawful authority and no legal effect”. It added that the law ministry’s notifications issued on November 13 and November 15 after decisions made by the cabinet were “of no legal consequence”.

The IHC declared the proceedings of PTI chairman Imran Khan’s trial conducted in jail in the cypher case so far as null and void.