ISLAMABAD: The verdict in the £190 million case against jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan will be announced on January 13, staff at the Islamabad Accountability Court confirmed on Monday.

Citing the leave of Justice Nasir Javed Rana, court staff said the decision to stay the judgment was communicated to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor as well as PTI’s lawyer.

This is the second time the verdict – reserved for December 18 – has been postponed in the said case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, as it was previously scheduled for announcement on December 23, if it was then postponed. by the court.

The former prime minister along with his wife Bushra and others have been accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of causing a loss of £190 million to the exchequer through a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon.

The said case is part of a plethora of legal challenges facing the jailed PTI founder, who has been behind bars since August last year after being convicted in the Toshakhana-I case.

Speaking to the media today, PTI counsel Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry – recalling several delays – said he was informed around 8:15 am that the verdict would not be announced today.

what is it about

The anti-graft watchdog filed an appeal against Khan, Bushra and others in December 2023 over the alleged settlement.

According to the indictment in the case, Khan and co-accused allegedly manipulated Rs50bn – £190m at the time – sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of a deal with the property tycoon.

Subsequently, on 3 December 2019, the then Prime Minister obtained approval from his Cabinet to settle with the British Crime Agency, without disclosing details of the confidential agreement.

It was decided that the money would be presented to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.

According to NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife acquired land worth billions of rupees from a property tycoon to build an educational institute in exchange for a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the British crime agency. .

Later, Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad weeks after the PTI-led government approved the deal with the property tycoon.

trial

The accountability watchdog had arrested the PTI founder on November 13 last year in connection with the said case. NAB then interrogated Khan and Bushra for 17 days in Adiala jail.

The trial began after the NAB reference was filed on 1 December 2023. On 27 February 2024, charges were formally filed against the couple.

Notable witnesses against the PTI founder included his former cabinet member Pervez Khattak, former federal minister Zubaida Jalal, former chief secretary Azam Khan and the finance director of Al-Qadir University.

The court also declared six co-accused, including Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi, Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa Nasim, as absconders while ordering the freezing of their assets and bank accounts.

During the proceedings, the Islamabad High Court granted bail to the disqualified prime minister in a £190 million reference, while the trial court granted pre-arrest bail for Bushra.

The PTI founder and chairman submitted a list of 16 witnesses to the court, but the request to summon them was rejected.

During the course of the case, the four judges were replaced with Justice Muhammad Bashir, Justice Nasir Javed Rana, Justice Muhammad Ali Warraich and then again Justice Rana presiding over the hearing.