A special court on Monday adjourned the hearing of the Toshakhana 2.0 case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi until Wednesday after recording the statement of the former premier’s personal secretary.
The proceedings were held at Adiala Jail under Special Judge Shah Rukh Arjumand.
During the session, the statement of prosecution witness Syed Inam Shah, the former prime minister’s personal secretary, was recorded, while cross-examination of three other prosecution witnesses was also completed.
Custom appraisers Rabia Samad and Sana Saeed, along with Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Khan, were cross-examined by the defence team. The court also dropped one witness, Azeem Manzoor, from the list, terming him unnecessary.
Both Imran and Bushra Bibi were produced in court for the hearing, which was also attended by Senator Ali Zafar, the PTI founder’s sisters, and Bushra Bibi’s sister-in-law, Mehr-un-Nisa Ahmed.
The defence team was represented by Qausain Faisal and Arshad Tabrez, while FIA’s special public prosecutors Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi and Umair Majeed Malik appeared for the prosecution.
So far, cross-examination on statements of 14 witnesses has been completed. At the next hearing, the defence team will cross-examine Syed Inam Shah.
Toshakhana 2.0 case
The case revolves around charges that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewelry set gifted during a visit to Saudi Arabia from May 7 to 10, 2021. The set included a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, and a pair of earrings.
According to the reference, the Toshakhana Section Officer was asked to assess and declare the value of the jewelry set in May 2021. However, the gift was not deposited.
The jewelry set was later valued at Rs75.66 million, with the necklace priced at Rs56.49m and earrings at Rs15.06m. Under Toshakhana rules, the recipients were required to pay 50 per cent of the assessed value, or Rs35.76m, to retain the items.
Investigators allege that by undervaluing the set, a loss of Rs32.85m was caused to the national exchequer. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) accuses Imran and Bushra Bibi of violating Section 9 and Subsections 3, 4, 6, and 12 of the NAB Ordinance 1999.
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