Verdict in 190m pound case to be announced tomorrow

RAWALPINDI: The £190 million verdict against PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi will be announced tomorrow (Friday) at 11.30am. According to Dunya News, the court staff informed Imran Khan’s legal team. Accountability Court judge Nasir Javed Rana will deliver the reserved sentence on Friday. Notably, the decision on the £190m benchmark has been delayed three times. Originally set for December 18, 2024, the verdict was scheduled for December 23, then January 6, and later January 13, but was postponed each time. WHAT IS THE CASE?                       The £190 million case includes a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and others in December 2023. The case revolves around an alleged settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon that reportedly cost the exchequer £190 million. Khan and other defendants are alleged to have misused £190m sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of the settlement. Bushra Bibi was named as an accused for her role as trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust. In addition, the couple is accused of receiving undue benefits, including more than 458 kanals in Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, for the establishment of Al-Qadir University. During Khan’s tenure, the NCA seized £190m worth of the tycoon’s assets. The property was to be handed over to Pakistan, with the NCA handling the settlement as a civil matter. However, details of the confidential agreement were not disclosed when the Khan government approved it in December 2019. The arrangement will see the money presented to the Supreme Court on behalf of the real estate tycoon. Subsequently, Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad. PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi and her close friend Farah Khan were members of the trust. The real estate tycoon is said to have given up the land to build an educational institution in exchange for legal protection.