Imran, Bushra misused PM’s office, rules AC

Toshakhana case verdict says accused misappropriated public property for personal gain amounting to Rs1,573.72 million

ISLAMABAD:

The accountability court of Islamabad said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi misused the position and power vested in the office of the prime minister obtained monetary gain and caused a loss to the national exchequer.

Accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir issued a 44-page detailed judgment, regarding the 14 years imprisonment sentence to Imran and Bibi in the Toshakhana case. The judgment said that the two accused fraudulently misappropriated public property for personal gain.

“It is proved beyond any reasonable doubt that both the accused persons in connivance with each other by way of illegal means, misusing the position and power vested in the Office of the Prime Minister obtained monetary gain amounting to Rs.1573.72 million,” read the judgment.

[The two accused] caused a loss to the National Exchequer, and fraudulently misappropriated public property for personal gain and violated the Procedure For the Acceptance and Disposal of Gifts, 2018 read with the Rules of Business 1973,” it added.

Also read: Imran pays dearly for Toshakhana gifts

“Thus, both the accused namely Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi and Bushra Imran are hereby convicted and sentenced to Fourteen (14) years rigors imprisonment each with fine of Rs. 787 million each under the offences define u/s 9(a)(iii)(iv)(vi) & (xii) of the NAO, 1999 and punishable u/s 10 of the NAO, 1999 and also under Sr. No. 2 of the schedule thereto. The fine is recoverable as arrears of land.”

The judge had convicted Imran and Bibi in the Toshakhana case on Wednesday. In the detailed judgment, the court said that they received a total of 108 gifts from abroad, including a graff jewellery set which they had bought just for Rs9 million, while its actual worth was much higher.

The ruling further said that the court testified a total of 16 witnesses during the trial and the prosecution presented solid evidence. “The accumulative effect of all the evidence produced against the accused is that the prosecution has succeeded to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubts.”

According to the judgment, the two accused used influence on the private expert to determine the gift’s value. According to Sohaib Abbasi, who determined the value of the gift, he estimated the value lower on the instruction of the PTI’s founder, the verdict continued.

Also read: Imran, Bushra's 'illicit relations' began in 2014 sit-in: Maneka

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had served five notices to Bibi and Imran and asked them to come with the graff jewellery set to determine the price but both of them did not bring the gift. The accused did not even give the information about the gifts.

The verdict said that NAB contacted Imran Bashir, a Dubai-based expert on jewellery and antiquities, who estimated the price of the set from various dealers. He reported that the value of jewellery set was Rs3.160 billion.

The judgment further said that it was proved that the price of jewellery set was much higher than the estimate got from a private person. It was proved that Bibi received the jewellery set but she did not submit it to the Toshakhana.

It added that the attitude of the PTI founder during trial was also very inappropriate. The accused had been changing defence lawyers repeatedly and they were not even willing to cross-examine the witnesses. The defence lawyers were aware about the hearing date but they did not arrive in the court.

The verdict said that the court shared a questionnaire with the accused and they were given enough time to reply but PTI’s founder but he did not answer. Bibi recorded her statement but the PTI founder used delaying tactics, it added.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)