Islamabad (Pakistan), January 7 (ANI): Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to revised Toshahana rules for not depositing a Bvlgari jewelery set gifted to him by Saudi Crown Prince Dawn. The court ruled that no charges could be filed on this basis. Reported.
In a detailed 14-page judgment, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb said the 2023 Amendment Bill, which introduces penalties for failure to submit gifts to the national treasury, cannot be applied retrospectively. Ta. The court clarified that the 2018 Toshakhana Rules only require submission of the receipt, not the gift itself.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had initiated criminal proceedings against Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for undervaluing the jewellery, causing a loss of Rs 32.8 million to the exchequer.
However, the court noted that there were no allegations of “direct threats or pressure” from Mr Khan regarding the undervaluation process. The defense argued that Khan had complied with the 2018 regulations by providing the required receipts, but the court found no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Justice Aurangzeb observed the long delay in the trial and pointed out that Khan has not been charged yet despite being in custody for more than four months, Dawn newspaper reported.
The investigation was initially completed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and later transferred to the FIA, but little progress has been made in the first instance. The court emphasized the need to comply with bail conditions, requiring Khan to attend all hearings and warning that “misuse of bail funds may lead to revocation of bail.”
At the special court handling the Toshahana case, the FIA prosecutor completed the cross-examination of Toshahana Division officer Bin Yamin, and Mohammad Ahad, Deputy Director of the Cabinet Sector Coordination Department, also gave testimony. A total of three witnesses testified during the session, and four more prosecution witnesses were called for the next hearing scheduled for January 8.
Separately, the long-awaited verdict on the £190 million corruption case involving Mr Khan was postponed again due to the absence of Accountability Court judge Nasir Javed Rana. The decision was originally reserved for December 18th, but is now scheduled for January 13th.
NAB claims Khan’s cabinet has approved a confidential deed to return 190 million pounds seized by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) in 2019 to real estate mogul Malik Riaz.
NAB further alleged that the Khans misused their power to facilitate the deal and received billions of rupees and vast land rights in return, Dawn reported.
According to NAB, Malik Riaz’s son transferred 240 kanals of land to Farah Shahzadi, while Zulfi Bukhari received the land under a trust that did not exist at the time of the transfer. NAB argued that the trust was created for the first time after the fund adjustment, raising questions about its legitimacy. (Ani)
(This story comes from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by Tribune staff.)
