Court Reserves Verdict in £190 Million Al-Qadir Trust Case Involving Imran and Bushra

An accountability court has reserved its verdict in the £190 million corruption case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, related to the Al-Qadir Trust.

The prosecution concluded its final arguments on Tuesday, with the defense wrapping up its statement today. Accountability Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced that the verdict would be delivered on December 23.

In December, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a corruption reference against Imran, Bushra, and seven others, accusing them of misappropriating billions of rupees and land from Bahria Town Ltd.

The case revolves around the legalization of £50 billion identified and returned to Pakistan by the UK during the previous PTI government.

According to the NAB reference, Imran, currently in jail, allegedly played a central role in the illicit transfer of state funds into an account intended for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi.

Despite multiple opportunities, the accused allegedly failed to provide adequate information to clarify their position.

Among the suspects named are property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, former special assistant Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and former PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari, all of whom have absconded and were declared proclaimed offenders (PO).

Farhat Shahzadi, a close associate of Bushra Bibi, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal expert from the PTI government’s Asset Recovery Unit, were also declared POs. Consequently, the properties of the six absconders were frozen.

Imran and Bushra were indicted in February.

Court Proceedings and Reactions

Following today’s proceedings, PTI raised questions about the prolonged hearings and suggested that the verdict might already be decided.

Imran’s sister, Aleema Khanum, expressed concerns that the judge had likely already formed an opinion, predicting a conviction for her brother on Monday.

During the hearing at Adiala Jail, which lasted eight and a half hours, Barrister Salman Safdar, representing Imran and Bushra, argued that the case was politically motivated.

He stated that the defense had proven its innocence in previous cases and highlighted the involvement of Nawaz Sharif’s son, Hassan Nawaz, who was not included in the proceedings.

Safdar emphasized that the case was designed to target Imran and Bushra personally, despite their previous social work and charitable contributions.

The defense also questioned NAB’s shifting position in the case, claiming that no personal financial benefit had been gained by the accused, no settlement agreement was made, and no land was transferred into Bushra Bibi’s name.

NAB prosecutor Amjad Pervaiz, however, defended the case, reiterating that the allegations against the accused, particularly Imran, were not about personal financial gain but about authorizing the illegal inflow of funds into Pakistan.

Pervaiz also pointed out that Imran had multiple chances to present his cabinet members in defense but chose not to.

The Reference and Allegations

The reference contends that the accused deliberately failed to provide necessary information and responses, demonstrating a clear intention to obstruct the investigation.

It claims that Imran played a key role in the illegal transfer of funds meant for the state, benefiting Malik Riaz, while Bushra Bibi and Shahzadi were also involved in these activities.

The investigation found sufficient evidence to suggest that the accused conspired to divert funds away from state interests.

The reference calls for the suspects to be tried under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), asserting that they committed acts of corruption and other criminal activities.

It concludes that the case has ample incriminating evidence, justifying legal action against the accused.