File photo of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, right, and Bushra Bibi, his wife, speaking to the media
| Photo Credit: AP
A Pakistani court has handed over a 14-page questionnaire to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in a GBP 190 million settlement case.
The questionnaire, which contains 79 questions related to the Al-Qadir Trust case, was provided for Khan and his wife’s final statements, The News International newspaper reported on Sunday (November 10, 2024).
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It is alleged that Khan and his wife caused a loss to the tune of GBP 190 million or over PKR 50 billion while facilitating a property tycoon.
Khan’s counsel Salman Safdar received the questionnaire in the presence of both the accused in the last hearing. The couple was directed to submit their responses to the court on Monday.
In the questionnaire, the accountability court in Rawalpindi asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder whether he and his associates illegally obtained “monetary benefits” — which include land measuring 458 kanals (57.25 acres) — and, in return, facilitated the “illegal and dishonest transfer/adjustment of GBP 171.159 million out of GPB 190 million, meant for the State of Pakistan”.
The court while citing evidence said co-accused Shahzad Akbar — former special assistant on accountability — “in-connivance and active knowledge” of Khan floated a note dated December 2, 2019, to the deposed Prime Minister.
Seeking his response, the court stated: “The note contained misrepresented information, implying that funds frozen in the U.K. were to be surrendered to the State of Pakistan, mischaracterising the land purchase agreement as a fine and knowingly misrepresented that Supreme Court account was being operated for the benefit of State of Pakistan.” Furthermore, the accountability court said, “It is in the evidence that the jailed politician, being a prime minister, dishonestly instructed for placing the note as additional agenda without prior circulation in violation of rules of business, 1973 even though your co-accused Shahzad Akbar with your active connivance and under your influence had already dishonestly and for ulterior motive signed and submitted the confidential deed to the National Crime Agency UK on Nov 11, 2019.”
In the November 7 hearing, lawyers for Khan and Bushra completed the cross-examination of the last and 35th witness at Adiala jail, taking the case conclusion to the final stage.
As per the charges of the case, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted PKR 50 billion sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of an agreement with a property tycoon.
Subsequently, the then-Prime Minister Khan got approval for the settlement with the U.K. crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement.
It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.
According to the NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, called Al-Qadir University operated by the Al-Qadir Trust of which Khan and Bibi are trustees, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the U.K. crime agency.
Published – November 11, 2024 06:10 pm IST
