Imran Khan and Bushra Babi could not get a relief ahead of Eidul Azha as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) allowed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to appoint a special prosecutor to present its point of view on the couple's pleas seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190m case.
A division bench of the capital's high court, comprising IHC Acting Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, on Thursday took up the PTI founder's and his wife's applications, seeking their release on bail after suspension of their sentences in the corruption case.
During the hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar, representing Imran and Bushra, quipped that they had managed to get the applications listed for hearing "after countless prayers and pleas".
He claimed that cases Toshakhana I case, Toshakhana II, and then the £190 million case – were fabricated to keep the couple behind bars. "This is the most controversial verdict. The Supreme Court had made observations on the judge who delivered this verdict," he said.
Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Nasir Javed Rana on January 17 sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi respectively to 14 and seven years in prison in the £190 million case
In addition to the prison sentences, the court also imposed fines of Rs1 million on Imran and Rs500,000 on Bushra. The couple later challenged the verdict in the IHC.
Referring to other cases, Safdar said the trial courts convict Imran and Bushra but high courts later state that the convictions are wrong and suspend such verdicts.
NAB Prosecutor Rafiq Maqsood stated that he was informed about the case just a day earlier and received the notice only the previous night. "I request that since the federal government has to appoint a special prosecutor for this case, and correspondence is needed with the Ministry of Law, we should be granted four weeks' time," he said.
Safdar, however, requested the court to decide Bushra's plea for suspension of her sentence prior to Eid." "If they want to bring a special team against the PTI founder, they can go aheadwe are not afraid," he added.
Latif Khosa, who also belongs to the PTI, said Imran Khan is in jail without any evidence. "He has no intention of fleeing the country or tampering with the record," he said. The court remarked that the legal team should be given time to notify their representation. It adjourned the hearing until June 11.
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