Islamabad, 16 May 2024(GNP): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) approved chairman PTI Imran Khan’s bail application in the 190 million pound corruption case.
A two-member bench, consisting IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, had reserved the judgement a day ago after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecution counsel and Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, the counsel for Imran, finalized their arguments.
The court set Imran’s bail at Rs1 million today but he will not be released from prison as he is still serving out his sentences in the cipher and the iddat cases. His sentences in two separate Toshakhana cases were suspended by the IHC.
In his concluding arguments in Tuesday’s court hearing, NAB Special Prosecutor Amjad Pervaiz had told the court that the trial of the ex-premier and his spouse was about to conclude.
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He stated that out of 59 prosecution witnesses, 30 have testified so far, and the prosecution would cut the number of remaining witnesses by 10 to 15 and produce the rest for recording statements.
He cited a Supreme Court judgement where bail petitions were turned down in such situations.
According to the court order issued today, the investigation in the matter was complete and the “Extended custody” of the petitioner, Imran, would not serve any purpose.
It said that the prosecution had declared concern that Imran might manipulate with the record or influence the trial being a political person, however, there was nothing on record which justified the referred concern.
“The instant petition is allowed and petitioner is allowed to bail after arrest in the afore-mentioned reference subject to furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs1m,” it said.
It added that the observations made were tentative and would not bigot the trial court while deciding the reference against Imran.
Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi were accused in the case by a Rawalpindi accountability court in February.
In December, NAB had submitted a corruption reference against Imran and seven others, including his wife, in connection with the Al-Qadir University.
The case states that Imran and Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd for legalizing Rs50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government.
The reference submitted by NAB states that Imran, who is currently in jail, played a “Key role in the illegal transfer of funds meant for the state of Pakistan into an account designated for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi”.
It also alleged that despite being given multiple opportunities to justify and provide information, the accused deliberately, with mala fide intention, refused to give information on one pretext or another.
Property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari are also among the alleged perpetrator in this reference, but instead of joining the investigation and subsequent court proceedings, they escaped and were subsequently declared offenders.
Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of Imran’s spouse, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal expert for the PTI government’s Assets Recovery Unit, were also declared POs. Subsequently, the properties of all six alleged had been frozen.
Judge Mohammad Bashir was supposed to accuse the ex-premier and former first lady on January 26 but the accusation was delayed to January 30. It was then scheduled for February 10 but was again delayed till February 27.
