Pakistan court defers verdict in Al-Qadir case against Imran Khan, his wife for third time

A Pakistan court on Monday postponed for the third time the announcement of the verdict in the 190 million pounds Al-Qadir Trust corruption case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

The anti-corruption court in Islamabad has now set January 17 as the new date for announcing the verdict.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the anti-corruption court completed the hearing in the case on December 18 but reserved the judgment until December 23. Later he fixed January 6 as the new date for announcing the verdict, Geo News reported.

Judge Rana was on leave on January 6 so the key judgment was postponed until January 13.

Today the judge once again postponed the judgement until January 17, citing the absence of the accused in the court.

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The postponement comes amidst the ongoing negotiation between the government and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: party to address the political instability in the country due to the imprisonment of the former premier and several other leaders of the party.

So far two rounds of talks have been held and another is expected this week. It was not clear if the judgment would impact the next round of talks.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in December 2023 filed the case against Khan (72), Bibi (50) and six others, accusing them of causing a loss to the tune of 190 million pounds (PRs50 billion) to the national kitty.

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However, Khan and Bibi have been prosecuted as all others, including a property tycoon, were out of the country.

Both Khan and Bibi are accused in the case, which revolves around allegations that PRs50 billion, returned to Pakistan by the UK’s National Crime Agency as part of a settlement with a property tycoon was misused.

The funds were reportedly intended for the national treasury but were allegedly redirected for the personal benefit of the businessman who helped Bibi and Khan to set up a university.

Bibi, as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust, is accused of benefiting from this settlement, including acquiring 458 kanals of land for Al-Qadir University in Jhelum.