IHC grants bail to Imran Khan, orders release in Toshakhana 2.0 case

ISLAMABAD: In a major development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana 2.0 case, Express News reported.

IHC's Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb approved PTI founder's bail plea, ordering the latter to submit surety bonds of Rs1 million each for securing the bail.

The court also directed the incarcerated former premier to appear before trial court following the bail.

During the proceedings today, PTI’s legal counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, argued that the charges against the PTI founder were based on the use of influence for personal gain.

He contended that the charge sheet did not clearly specify who the central accused was and that the case was filed more than three years after the alleged incident.

Barrister Salman further claimed that no crime had been committed under the Toshakhana policy, as the gifts were acquired in accordance with the established procedure.

Justice Aurangzeb also made significant remarks on the previous government's policy of keeping Toshakhana details confidential, adding that such information was regularly withheld when sought by the court.

The FIA prosecutor countered, stating that the Bulgari set of gifts was not registered with Toshakhana, and alleged that the PTI founder and his wife had caused financial loss to the state by undervaluing the gifts.

The court adjourned the hearing after a break, during which the FIA prosecutor raised issues regarding the delay in the indictment of Bushra Bibi, the PTI founder’s wife, in the case.

After approving the bail, the court also warned that the bail could be revoked if misused in the future.

Toshakhana 2.0

Bushra Bibi received the Bulgari jewelry set during a visit to Saudi Arabia from May 7 to 10, 2021.

The jewelry set included a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, and a pair of earrings.

During the investigation for the reference, it was found that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi illegally retained the Bulgari jewelry set.

On May 18, 2021, the Deputy Military Secretary informed the Section Officer of Toshakhana to assess and declare the value of the jewelry set, but it was not deposited.

According to the reference, Bulgari had sold the necklace to the Saudi Arabian franchise Solugent Trading on May 25, 2018, for 300,000 euros and the earrings for 80,000 euros.

However, the prices of the bracelet and ring were not available. On May 28, 2021, the total value of the Bulgari jewelry set was approximately Rs75,661,600 .

The necklace was valued at 56,496,000 Rupees, and the earrings at Rs15,065,600.

According to Toshakhana rules, the jewelry set's value, after paying 50 percent, should be Rs35,765,800.

However, the NAB reference added that by undervaluing the jewelry set, a loss of Rs32,851,300 was incurred to the national treasury.

The PTI founder, along with Bushra Bibi, has violated Section 9 and Subsections 3, 4, 6, and 12 of the NAB Ordinance 1999.