• PTI founder says NAB reopened ‘closed’ probe for political reasons
• ATC rejects ex-PM’s acquittal request in GHQ protest case
• Maneka’s plea to transfer Iddat case to another bench approved
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and spouse Bushra Bibi challenged their conviction in the £190 million corruption case before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday.
The appellants asked the court to set aside their conviction and 14-year and seven-year sentences, respectively, awarded by an accountability court earlier this month, emphasising the ruling lacked credible evidence and suffered from procedural lapses.
The identical appeals pointed to the UK Court of Appeal’s judgement dated Nov 26, 2021 and clarified that the funds at the centre of the controversy were neither proceeds of crime nor linked to any illegal activity.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK had agreed to a £190m settlement with property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, specifying that the funds would be transferred to Pakistan Supreme Court’s account as part of a legal framework, they stated.
Mr Khan’s appeal accuses NAB of withholding critical evidence and failing to present witnesses from the NCA or relevant documents to substantiate its claims. His legal team pointed to the NAB’s earlier closure of the case in 2020, following the NCA’s settlement agreement, and argued that the reopening of investigation in 2023 was done in bad faith and for political reasons.
The appeal also contested the validity of a purported confidentiality deed presented by the prosecution. Mr Khan’s lawyers argued that the document was unverified, with no forensic analysis conducted to determine its authenticity. They added that the document was merely procedural, with no evidence linking it to any criminal activity.
Mr Khan’s lawyers emphasised that no personal financial gain had been established. They said that the funds deposited in the account of Al-Qadir University Trust — a legally registered trust promoting education — for furniture had been wrongly connected to the case.
