ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday dismissed the petitions filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, seeking acquittal in the £190 million corruption case under the amended National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) of 1999.
Imran Khan argued that the case against him was improperly initiated, claiming that the decisions made during a federal cabinet meeting were protected by law under the NAO. He contended that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had overstepped its jurisdiction by filing a reference based on allegations that he had chaired a cabinet meeting on December 3, 2019, during which a deed of confidentiality was approved.
The petition asserted that NAB accused Khan of misusing his authority to obtain benefits, including approximately 458 kanals of land in tehsil Sohawa of Jhelum district, Rs285 million in cash, and other benefits under the pretext of donations for the Al-Qadir University Project Trust. Additionally, the petition claimed that Khan and his spouse, through an associate named Farhat Shehzadi, received 240 kanals of land from co-accused Ahmad Ali Riaz Malik as personal compensation.
In response, NAB prosecutors argued that Khan had misled the cabinet to secure approval for the deed by concealing facts and pressuring cabinet members to approve it in a sealed envelope.
Accountability Judge Nasir Javed Rana ultimately rejected the acquittal petitions.
