Notices issued to FIA, NAB in Toshakhana, cypher cases

Court seeks responses by Feb 29

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has served notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding appeals challenging the trial court verdicts, seeking suspension of sentences in the cypher and Toshakhana cases of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

The court has demanded responses from both by February 29 (Thursday).

In addition, notices were issued for Thursday's hearing on the appeals of co-accused individuals, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Bushra Bibi, the wife of a former prime minister.

A two-member special division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, presided over the appeals challenging the special court's 10-year prison verdict for Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case.

Read also: IHC set to review Imran's gifts, cipher appeals

The court directed a notice to the FIA and overruled objections raised by the office regarding the appeal against the cypher case conviction.

Furthermore, NAB has been served notices concerning appeals against the 14-year imprisonment verdict for Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case.

In a related development, the IHC issued a notice on the PTI founder's post-arrest bail plea in the £190 million corruption case, seeking a response by the next hearing. However, in the Toshakhana NAB reference, Imran Khan's bail application was deemed ineffective.