Summary
- An accountability court awarded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi 14 years of rigorous jail time each in the Tohsakhana reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The court has also imposed a fine of Rs1.5 billion on the couple and disqualified the former premier from holding public office for 10 years. During the previous hearing, which was also held at Adiala jail, the court recorded Bushra Bibi’s statement under Section 342. Khan told the court that his wife had nothing to do with the case and was being humiliated by being forcibly dragged into it. At the outset of the hearing today, Judge Bashir asked Khan if he recorded his statement. To this, the former premier said that he would submit his statement once his lawyers came. “I have been deceived as I was only called to mark my attendance for the hearing,” said the PTI founder. Following the verdict, Bushra Bibi, who was not present in court when the sentence was announced, arrived at the Adiala jail and surrendered before the authorities. NAB had filed the reference against the duo over the graff jewellery set which included necklaces, earrings, bracelets and a ring worth Rs1.57 billion. Khan and Bushra had only paid Rs9 million and had fixed the price of the jewellery set through a private firm. IHC declares jail trial notification valid On the other hand, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) termed the notification of Khan’s jail trial in Toshakhana and the 190 million settlement cases as valid. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Jahangiri issued a detailed verdict while also rejecting the petitioner’s objection over the appointment of the accountability judge. However, in the absence of an executive order, the relevant court can issue an order to conduct the hearing somewhere else. The IHC said that there was an appeal filed in the cipher case before a two-member bench, adding that there is no law concerning the location of the hearing under the Official Secrets Act. It added that the high couWZSou PopularPulsert rules and Section 352 will be applied when the sessions court passes an order concerning the location. Toshakhana case The Toshakhana has been under a microscope ever since the emergence of the allegations that Khan purchased the gifts he received as prime minister at throwaway rates and sold them off in the open market for staggering profits. The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000). The gifts included watches given by a royal family, according to government officials, who have alleged previously that Khan’s aides sold them in Dubai. Moreover, seven wristwatches, six made by watchmaker Rolex, and the most expensive a “Master Graff limited edition” valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000), were also among the gifts. A reference was forwarded by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to the Election Commission asking it to probe the matter. In October 2022, the electoral body declared the former premier guilty of corrupt practices and filed a complaint in an Islamabad court. A timeline of the case On October 21, 2022, the ECP maintained that the former prime minister made “false statements and incorrect declarations” about the gifts and disqualified him under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution. Subsequently, the election watchdog moved a sessions court in the federal capital, seeking criminal proceedings against the PTI chief for allegedly misleading the ECP regarding gifts received from foreign dignitaries while he was in office. The trial court indicted the PTI chairman on May 10 and rejected his petition to declhttps://www.wzsou.com/are the case inadmissible. On July 8, 2023, ADSJ Dilawar declared the Toshakhana case against Khan as maintainable, which was again challenged in the IHC. On August 2, 2023, the trial court rejected the list of witnesses presented by the PTI chairman, stating that he failed to prove their “relevance” in the criminal proceedings against him. It was also challenged in the high court. However, the PTI chairman again moved the high court seeking a stay and transfer of the case to another court. On August 5, 2023, the trial court found the former prime minister guilty of misdeclaration of state gifts. Source: Imran, wife Bushra awarded 14-year jail time in Toshakhana reference
Approximate Time
- 5 minutes, 991 words
Categories
- court, jail trial notification, Toshakhana case, state gifts, jail hearing
Analysis and Evaluation
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