IHC bars verdict in £190m case

Hints at ordering trial court to expeditiously hear PTI founder, wife's bail plea in gifts case

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has barred an accountability court from announcing the final verdict in the £190 million case in which former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi are the main accused.

A division bench of the IHC comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb issued this directive on Wednesday while hearing Imran's and Bushra's appeals against the accountability court's September 12 order.

Islamabad Accountability Court-II Judge Nasir Javed Rana on September 12 rejected the acquittal requests of the PTI founder and his wife in the corruption case. The couple had later challenged the order in the IHC, whose Registrar Office had raised some objections to their plea.

The court heard the case along with the Registrar's Office objections. The petitioners' lawyers, including Barrister Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, were present.

The court removed the objections raised by the registrar and issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)—the prosecution in the case—asking it to submit a response by September 26. The bench also instructed the accountability court to complete the trial without announcing the final verdict.

Meanwhile, the IHC has also hinted at directing a trial court to expedite its proceedings in the Toshakhana II case while hearing Bushra Bibi's petition, which sought instructions for the trial court to make a prompt decision on bail pleas in the case.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb remarked that an order would be issued in line with the National Judicial Policy guidelines and the Supreme Court's rulings.

Barrister Salman Safdar appeared on behalf of the petitioner. The petition argued that the case had been transferred from an accountability court to the special central judge in Islamabad, but delays were occurring due to the lack of cooperation from the government. The petitioner requested that the special central judge be instructed to expedite the decision on the bail pleas.