An accountability court in Islamabad has postponed its verdict in the £190 million corruption case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The ruling, initially scheduled for December 23, was delayed by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, citing the upcoming winter holidays and a course at the high court. The court’s winter vacation begins on December 24 and runs until January 1, with the verdict now set to be announced on January 6, 2025.
During the previous hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar, the couple’s lawyer, argued that the case was motivated by “political revenge.” He claimed that the defense had already proved the couple’s innocence in earlier cases and pointed out that the involvement of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif’s son, Hassan Nawaz, had not been included in the proceedings, despite his connection to the matter. Safdar also highlighted that Imran Khan, before his tenure as prime minister, had been known for his charitable work, collecting billions of rupees in donations.
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The case revolves around allegations that Imran Khan and others were involved in the misappropriation of Rs50 billion (equivalent to £190 million at the time), which had been transferred by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government. As prime minister, Khan had approved the settlement in December 2019, without revealing the confidential details of the agreement. The arrangement stipulated that the funds would be submitted to the Supreme Court.
Imran Khan has consistently dismissed the corruption charges as politically motivated, accusing his rivals of using state institutions to target him. The reference also names other individuals, including Mirza Shehzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, and Farhat Shahzadi, who are accused of conspiring to divert state funds.
