Rawalpindi, January 13, 2025: The much-anticipated verdict in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, is set to be announced today (Monday).
Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court will deliver the verdict at Adiala Jail at 11:00 AM. The judgment had been reserved on December 18, 2024. Initially, the verdict was scheduled for December 23, but it was later postponed to January 6 before being set for today.
The case, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in December 2023, alleges corruption related to a settlement between the PTI government and a prominent real estate tycoon, resulting in a loss of £190 million to Pakistan’s national exchequer.
The controversy stems from £190 million sent by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to Pakistan after the NCA confiscated assets belonging to the tycoon during Imran Khan’s tenure as prime minister. While the funds were intended for the national treasury, the NAB accuses Khan and Bushra Bibi of misusing the money through the Al-Qadir Trust.
Bushra Bibi, a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust, has been named an accused in the case, alongside other key figures. The allegations also include receiving undue benefits such as 458 kanals of land in Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, for establishing Al-Qadir University.
In December 2019, Khan’s cabinet approved a confidential agreement that directed the £190 million to be presented before the Supreme Court on behalf of the real estate tycoon. The NAB claims the deal was concealed from public scrutiny and was a misuse of public funds.
The Al-Qadir Trust, established in Islamabad, lists trustees such as PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi, and Farah Khan (a close associate of Bushra Bibi). It is alleged that the land provided for the university’s construction was exchanged for granting the tycoon legal protection.
The court’s decision in this high-profile case is expected to have significant political and legal implications for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and their associates.
