A Pakistan court on January 17 found former prime minister Imran Khan🍰 and his wife Bushra Bibi guilty of corruption in the 190 million pounds (Pakistani Rs 50 Billion) Al-Qadir Trust case and sentenced them to 14 and seven years in prison respectively. Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the anti-corruption court announced the verdict that had been deferred thrice due to different reasons, last time on January 13, Pakistan’s Geo TV reported.
ཧThe judge announced the verdict in a makeshift court set up in Adila jail. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in December 2023 filed the case against Khan, Bibi and six others, accusing them of causing a loss to the tune of Pakistani Rs 50 billion to the national kitty, the report said.
However, Khan and Bibi have been prosecuted while others, including a property tycoon, remain out of the country. The case centers on allegations that PRs 50 billion, returned to Pakistan🎀 by the UK's National Crime Agency as part of a settlement with the property tycoon, were misused.
🅠The funds were reportedly meant for the national treasury but were allegedly diverted for the personal gain of the businessman, who assisted Bibi and Khan in establishing a university. Bibi, as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust, is accused of benefiting from this settlement, including acquiring 458 kanals of land for Al-Qadir University in Jhelum.
💖The judge directed the authorities to give the Al-Qadir Trust University in the federal government's custody, Geo TV reported.
Al-Qadir Case
The amount in question in the Al-Qadir case pertains to the assets of a property tycoon, which were seized by the UK's National Crime 🎀Agency (NCA) during PTI's rule. At the time, the NCA stated that the funds were intended for the Government of Pakistan, as the settlement with the Pakistani property tycoon was a civil matter and did not indicate a finding of guilt, Geo TV reported.
🙈However, in December 2023, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference, followed by charges against Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on February 27, 2024. The charges allege that the settlement with the British crime agency was approved by then-Prime Minister Khan on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the confidential details of the agreement.
It was decided that the funds would be deposited with the Supreme Court ♋on behalf of the businessman involved. Yet, just weeks later, Al-Qadir Trust was established, reportedly to provide legal cover for the black money allegedly received from the NCA, in connection with an agreement with the property mogul.
PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, then-First Lady Bushra, and her close associate Farhat Shehzadi, also known as Farah Gogi, were appointed as members of the trust. Following an investigation, Khan was arrested by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9, 2023.
