Court rejects Imran’s acquittal plea in £190m case

ISLAMABAD. Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana Thursday rejected former prime minister Imran Khan’s acquittal plea in the £190 million case. The court directed defence lawyers to conduct cross-examination of the NAB investigation officer on Friday (today). The judgment on the acquittal plea of Imran Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi was associated with the main reference. After hearing arguments of both sides in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, the court dismissed the acquittal petition and fixed the date for cross-examination of the investigation officer.

On Sept 10, the accountability court had adjourned hearing of the plea seeking exoneration of Imran Khan and his wife till Sept 12.

Previously, Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi appeared before the court at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. The PTI founder had filed a plea on Sept 7, seeking acquittal in the £190 million case after the Supreme Court’s verdict in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments case wherein the court accepted the intra-court appeals, filed against last year’s verdict which struck down the changes made to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

The couple is accused of causing billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer. Last week, the court had reserved verdict on Bushra’s acquittal plea in the said case.

Later during the hearing, Khan and Bushra’s lawyers did not appear before the court owing to their commitments in the Lahore High Court (LHC) due to which the reference’s last witness Mian Umer Nadeem, who is also an investigating officer, could not be cross-examined.

According to the NAB officials, Khan and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the UK crime agency.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Imran Khan has expressed dissatisfaction over the remarks made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur about journalists. In an informal conversation with journalists at Adiala jail, Imran Khan was met with protests regarding Gandapur’s recent statement. Addressing the concerns, Imran Khan acknowledged that Gandapur’s comments were inappropriate, saying he had “spoken too much in the heat of the moment.”

“Ali Amin should not have made such remarks; he went overboard,” he said. He said that journalists are working under immense pressure, describing their efforts as a form of “jihad”.

During the media interaction, journalists drew Imran Khan’s attention to Gandapur’s controversial speech. Initially, Imran Khan stood by the chief minister, saying, “I stand by every word of Ali Amin Gandapur’s speech.” However, after being further informed about the full context of the remarks, Imran Khan shifted his stance, saying, “Now that you have explained it, I agree that Ali Amin should not have said that.”

When asked if he would apologise given that other PTI leaders had already done so, Imran Khan responded, “I am saying for the third time: you are doing jihad, and Ali Amin should not have said this. But that doesn’t mean everyone is bad.”

About threats to journalists, Imran Khan said, “I only have access to PTV, and I don’t follow social media closely. Social media is vast—ask me about what I know. What you are doing is jihad.”

He then shifted topic, mentioning his wife, Bushra Bibi, who he claimed is in jail unfairly, and alleged corruption involving Judge Humayun Dilawar and KP’s anti-corruption department.

The PTI chief also criticised former caretaker Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi, accusing him of orchestrating the death of Zille Shah and calling the police’s handling of the case oppressive. He also slammed Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa, accusing him of denying PTI’s human rights petitions and taking away the party’s election symbol. He claimed that “the rule of law is absent in Pakistan,” citing this as a reason for the country’s poor investment climate. He also asked his party to be prepared for a call to take to the streets soon.