RAWALPINDI: A court on Monday dismissed the bail applications filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case wherein they face allegations of misuse of power to acquire state gifts.
During the hearing inside the Adiala jail, where the former prime minister and first lady also appeared, special judge Shahrukh Arjumand announced the verdict on the bail pleas filed by the couple.
The development came as the duo is set to be indicted in the said case on October 2 after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was barred from pursuing the matter and the case was transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in line with the Supreme Court’s verdict restoring amendments to the anti-corruption laws.
The new Toshakhana reference against the couple came to the fore after the NAB arrested them shortly after a district and sessions court in Islamabad acquitted Khan and Bushra in the iddat case — also known as the un-Islamic nikah case.
During the hearing on Monday, the FIA prosecutor submitted that the suspects received the Bulgari (Bvlgari) jewellery set from Saudi Arabia, adding the agency had obtained records of a necklace and earrings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“According to the records, both items are valued at Rs71.5 million,” said the prosecutor and added that the couple got it valued at Rs5.8 million from a private firm.Requesting the court to dismiss the couple’s bail applications, he said the suspects also failed to submit the said jewellery set in the Toshakhana repository.
Representing the PTI founder and former first lady, Barrister Salman Safdar contended that the new Toshakhana case was similar to the previous one with similar allegations and approvers.
Referring to the September 6 Supreme Court verdict restoring the NAB amendments, the lawyer said the Toshakhana case against his clients should come to an end following the top court’s ruling. The court then reserved its verdict, and later announced it after a break in the hearing.
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