£190 million case: Imran, Bushra asked to submit reply till Nov 18

Imran Khan was present for the hearing, while Bushra Bibi was granted an exemption.

Listen to article

An accountability court has directed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to submit  response in £190 million corruption case by Monday.

The hearing took place at Adiala Jail, where PTI founder Imran Khan appeared in court, while Bushra Bibi was granted a one-day exemption from attendance on medical grounds, Express News reported.

The court proceedings were led by Judge Nasir Javed Rana.

The hearing saw no responses from the defendants on the 342 questions raised by the court. Consequently, the judge adjourned the case until Monday and ordered both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to file their responses by then.

During the hearing, the defence lawyers submitted a written request stating that the Islamabad High Court had orally mentioned that no action would be taken before the acquittal petition was heard.

The defence lawyers contended that since they had submitted a written request, there should be no objection to the petition

The NAB lawyers argued that the petition did not have the signatures of the lawyers who had presented the arguments in the High Court. They further clarified that no such oral order had been given during their presence in the High Court.

Despite this, the court did not accept the defence's argument and allowed the exemption request for Bushra Bibi.

What is the £190 million case?

The case alleges that Imran Khan and others involved adjusted Rs 50 billion—equivalent to £190 million at the time—that was transferred by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government. This sum was part of a settlement with a property tycoon.

As Prime Minister, Khan obtained cabinet approval for this settlement on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the confidential details of the agreement. The arrangement stipulated that the funds would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.

According to NAB officials, Khan and his wife received land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, intended for the construction of an educational institute.