Imran set to benefit from NAB law tweak

Files acquittal plea in £190 million case Ex-PM's lawyer says case rendered invalid Court adjourns case until

RAWALPINDI:

A day after the Supreme Court reinstated changes to the country's anti-graft laws, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday sought acquittal from the £190 million case that had been hanging over his head.

The former premier filed the plea during a hearing at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, hoping the tide would turn in his favour following the court's recent verdict.

He filed a petition seeking acquittal in the case that accused both him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, of causing billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer.

Imran Khan's legal counsel argued that the case was rendered invalid after the Supreme Court's ruling, which protected all cabinet decisions under the NAB amendments.

"The question now is whether the accountability court retains jurisdiction over this case post-amendment," the NAB prosecutor noted during the proceedings.

He added that if the court maintains its jurisdiction, the acquittal plea could proceed.

The PTI founder's lawyer clarified that they had not contested the court's jurisdiction, leaving it to the judge's discretion to decide.

After hearing both sides, the court adjourned the case until September 10, delaying its decision on Imran's plea for acquittal.

Khan's legal team moved forward with this request after the Supreme Court accepted intra-court appeals on Friday, overturning the September 15, 2023, ruling that had nullified amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

The appeals, brought by federal and provincial governments, were heard by a five-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa. The bench ruled that Khan had failed to prove the unconstitutionality of the NAB amendments.

The original September 15 ruling, delivered by then-CJP Umar Ata Bandial, had invalidated key amendments to the NAO made under the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act, 2022.

The amendments, passed by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government in April 2022, altered sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 25, and 26 of the NAB laws.

The amendments were a response to the ousting of Imran Khan via a no-confidence vote in 2022. However, nine of the 10 amendments were struck down by Bandial's bench in response to Khan's petition filed in June 2022.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has slammed the amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws, describing them as a "path to destruction" and unconstitutional.

Speaking to journalists in Adiala Jail, where he is being held, the former prime minister accused the country's elite of pardoning their own crimes through these amendments while asking the public to make sacrifices.

"The NAB amendments are a disaster and unconstitutional. The elite have forgiven themselves billions of rupees in corruption cases and are now telling the nation to make sacrifices," he asserted.

Claiming that the amendments allowed powerful figures to escape justice, he accused the ruling class of benefiting from legislation designed to protect them from accountability.

He also noted that, under his government, the NAB had recovered Rs480 billion compared to the Rs290 billion accumulated from 1999 to 2017.

Imran also criticised the current performance of NAB, pointing out that in the last year, it had only recovered Rs15 million. He contrasted this with the Rs1,100 billion he claimed the institution was poised to collect under his administration before the amendments were introduced.

The PTI leader also highlighted the plight of prisoners in Adiala Jail, saying that many remain incarcerated because they cannot afford bail or fines as low as Rs50,000.

"While the elite are pardoning themselves, hundreds of inmates here remain jailed over minor financial penalties," he added.

He reiterated that the NAB amendments had effectively granted immunity to the powerful, noting that laws should apply equally to everyone.

He claimed that former army chiefs General Musharraf and General (retired) Bajwa had previously given relief to politicians like Asif Ali Zardari and the Sharif family, halting action on corruption cases under their tenure.

The PTI leader also called for the NAB to become an independent institution, free from political interference and expressed his desire for accountability within the bureau itself.

He suggested that the Supreme Judicial Council should oversee the institution to ensure it operates independently.

Addressing the current leadership, he responded to the army chief's recent statement about reducing hatred in the country, saying that the country's establishment should be the ones to take the first step towards easing tensions.

He also condemned the treatment of his wife, Bushra Bibi, who has been imprisoned for seven months. "What is her crime?" he asked, criticising the authorities for targeting his family.

Regarding the planned PTI rally on September 8, Imran Khan urged his supporters to come out in full force, calling it a fight for true freedom.

"This is a battle for real freedom, and freedom comes from justice. I urge the entire nation to stand with us on September 8," he said.

He also addressed concerns about his own future, insisting that he would not leave Pakistan, unlike many members of the country's elite, who he claims have moved their wealth abroad.

"My life is in this country. I won't run away," he asserted.