ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday levied a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) special prosecutor for causing delays in the proceedings of the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
The case, being heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, pertains to petitions filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi seeking the suspension of their sentences in the Al-Qadir Trust matter.
The £190 million case centers around allegations that in 2019, Imran Khan and others manipulated Rs50 billion equivalent to £190 million at the time — which Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had transferred to the Pakistani authorities. The funds were linked to assets owned by a property tycoon, which the NCA had seized during PTI’s government.
The NCA clarified that the transfer was a civil matter and did not imply any guilt on part of the Pakistani government or individuals. The agency had stated that the amount was intended as a settlement with the property tycoon.Ahead of today’s hearing, NAB submitted a miscellaneous plea asking the court to dismiss the petitions filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, arguing that they were inadmissible because the appeals against their convictions had not yet been scheduled or formally notified.
During the session, defense attorneys Salman Safdar and Aitzaz Ahsan appeared for the PTI leader. Safdar explained to the court that Ahsan, who was also present, had faced issues submitting his power of attorney, as the document was delayed due to the need for the PTI founder’s signature, which could not be obtained from prison despite requests over the past four months.
Chief Justice Dogar noted that prison authorities usually facilitate such signatures, but Safdar responded that the defence had faced persistent hurdles. The hearing then proceeded to focus on the petitions seeking to suspend the sentences. Safdar argued that his client’s case was being delayed unnecessarily and questioned why the prosecution was absent from the court. He also claimed that Imran Khan was unlawfully detained from the Islamabad High Court premises and accused authorities of intentionally prolonging his custody.
He pointed to a Lahore High Court ruling where a convict’s sentence was suspended after losing eyesight, urging the court to decide the matter promptly before Eid al-Fitr. Safdar emphasized that they were only requesting a hearing, not a final verdict, and criticized the prosecution for seeking multiple adjournments.
NAB’s prosecutor Rafay Maqsood countered that the bureau had already filed a plea challenging the admissibility of the petitions, arguing that no formal notices had yet been issued for the appeals and that the principle of fair trial must be upheld under Article 10-A of the Constitution.
The Chief Justice directed the defense to review NAB’s petition and, as tensions rose during the proceedings, asked senior lawyer Ahsan to take his seat. Safdar pressed for a penalty against the prosecutor for causing delays, which led the court to impose a Rs100,000 fine on the NAB special prosecutor.
The court also issued a notice to Imran Khan regarding the bureau’s plea to declare his petitions inadmissible and adjourned the hearing to a future date.Outside the courtroom, PTI lawyers and Imran’s sisters gathered, seeking a date for the next session, while NAB officials confirmed that the prosecutor would appear again in subsequent hearings.
