Rawalpindi, November 11, 2024 – An accountability court in Rawalpindi has handed a 14-page questionnaire containing 79 questions to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi regarding their final statements in the £190 million settlement case. The questionnaire was delivered under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898.
Their lawyer, Salman Safdar, received the document during the last hearing in the presence of both accused. The court has directed the couple to submit their responses by November 11.
The court asked Imran Khan whether he and his associates had unlawfully acquired “monetary benefits” — including 458 kanals of land — in exchange for facilitating the “illegal and dishonest transfer/adjustment of £171.159 million” out of £190 million intended for the State of Pakistan.
The court cited evidence suggesting that former special assistant on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, allegedly acted “in connivance and with the knowledge” of Imran Khan, drafting a note on December 2, 2019, for the then-prime minister. The note reportedly misrepresented funds frozen in the UK as being meant for Pakistan and recharacterized a land purchase agreement as a fine, falsely implying that a Supreme Court account was being used for state benefit.
The accountability court further alleged that Imran Khan, then prime minister, dishonestly ordered the note to be placed as an additional agenda item without prior circulation, violating the 1973 Rules of Business. The court also referenced Imran’s co-accused, Shahzad Akbar, claiming that he signed and submitted a confidential deed to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) under Imran’s influence on November 11, 2019.
The court also questioned Imran about a December 3 cabinet meeting, where he allegedly insisted on approving paragraph 10 of the note without permitting any discussion on the additional agenda item, securing its approval without deliberation.
The hearing on November 7 marked a significant milestone as the defense concluded the cross-examination of the final witness in the case. A total of 35 witnesses were cross-examined by Imran and Bushra Bibi’s legal team over 20 hearings, with the last witness’s examination spanning three months since July 30. Bushra Bibi’s attorney, Usman Gul, conducted cross-examinations over the course of 14 hearings.
With no further evidence to present, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has moved closer to concluding the high-profile case.
