Former Imran Khan Prime Minister and his wife, Bushra Bibi, made a request to the High Court of Islamabad (IHC) requesting an accelerated hearing for their pleas to suspend their convictions in the 190 million pounds Sterling case.
Earlier this year, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in the 190 million pounds Sterling case. Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Bushra Bibi received a sentence of seven years in prison. The judge of the Nasir Javed Rana responsibility court announced the order in a courtroom inside the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.
In addition to prison terms, the court has inflicted fines of 1 million rupees on Imran and 500,000 rupees on Bushra. If the fines are not paid, Imran Khan will serve an additional six months in prison and Bushra Bibi will risk three additional months.
The verdict also said that the property of the “Sham Trust”, Al-Qadir University Project Trust, should be confiscated from the federal government in accordance with article 10 (a) of the national responsibility ordinance, 1999.
According to documents available for EXPRESSIONThe petitions were deposited Tuesday by switch Salman Safdar, urging the court to plan a hearing “without any other period, because the petitions imply the fundamental questions of freedom and freedom”.
Read: Imran, Bushra sentenced in a case of 190 million pounds sterling
The petition also stresses that the announcement of the judgment has been delayed on three times, which raises concerns concerning the equity and transparency of the judicial process.
The petition stipulates: “The appeal against the conviction was duly filed on 27.01.2025. However, the registrar’s office raised objections, which were then deleted, causing unnecessary delays. ”
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi expressed their concerns concerning the repeated delays caused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which asked for adjournments in the case. Despite the court insurance, the suspension of the sentences has not yet been examined.
“The NAB has repeatedly asked for adjournment on the pretext of engaging the special prosecutors in this case,” said the petition.
The petition stresses that the case had already been planned for the hearings four times. However, despite the lawyer for the lawyer according to which a short adjournment is given and that an appropriate date is fixed to decide the suspension petitions, no date has yet been planned.
Read also: Imran, woman moves IHC for a deposit in a case of 190 million pounds sterling
He also noted that the special prosecutor appeared at the next hearing, but again asked for additional time. “The applicant faces repeated proceedings and, in two cases, he has already been acquitted, while in the Toshakhana case, this honorable court suspended his sentence with the consent of the prosecutor,” added the petition.
The advocacy argues that, taking into account the urgency of the case and the nature of the requested repair, there should not be legal or procedural barriers preventing planning of the penalties’ suspension. This request directly concerns the fundamental right to freedom, guaranteed under the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.
The petition also stipulates that the right to be dealt with in accordance with the law is a fundamental right under article 4 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which is refused to the applicants due to unfair delays.
Liberty, guaranteed under article 9, is also violated while the demand for suspension of sentences continues to be unduly delayed. Despite priority to the judicial policy to prioritize requests for surety and suspension, the applicants’ case is being priority without legal justification.
What is the case of 190 million pounds sterling?
The case alleys that Imran Khan and other people involved adjusted by 50 billion rupees – equivalent to 190 million pounds at the time – which was transferred by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom to the Pakistani government.
As PM, Imran Khan obtained approval from the cabinet for this regulation on December 3, 2019, without disclosing confidential details of the agreement. The arrangement had stipulated that the funds would be subject to the Supreme Court.
According to NAB officials, Imran and his wife have received land of billions of rupees intended for the construction of an educational institute.
Find out more: Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi charged in the Toshakhana 2.0 affair
Nab filed the reference on December 1, 2023 against eight accused, including Imran and his wife. On January 6, 2024, the court said that the rest of the six accused proclaimed offenders because they were not confronted at the trial and escaped in foreign countries.
The court charged Imran and Bushra on February 27, 2024. The accusation presented 35 witnesses, which the defense then contrainded.
The main witnesses in the case included the former main secretary of PM, Azam Khan, the former Minister of Defense Pervez Khattak and the former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
Three different judges chaired the case at various stadiums in the trial while the final director, Mian Umar Nadeem, was counter-examined after 38 hearings.
The court of responsibility provided the accused’s 15 opportunities to complete their declarations under article 342. However, no witness was presented by the defense.
