ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Monday postponed until January 13 its verdict in the £190m Al-Qadir Belief case corruption case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Aunt Bushra. Justice Nasir Javed Rana of the anti-graft court completed the hearing on December 18, but reserved ruling until December 23. He later set January 6 as the new date to announce the verdict, Geo Information reported.
Noting that Justice Rana was on leave on Monday, court staff said the decision would now be announced on January 13.
The court also reported on the postponement of the sentence to National Accountability Office (NAB) prosecutor as well as his lawyer.
The postponement comes amid the ongoing negotiation between the government and the Khan government. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to address political instability in the country due to the imprisonment of the former prime minister and several other party leaders.
Two rounds of talks have been held so far and another is expected this week.
In December 2023, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the case against Khan (72), Bibi (50) and six others, accusing them of causing a loss of £190 million (Rs 50 billion) to the fund. national.
However, Khan and Bibi have been prosecuted because everyone else, including a real estate tycoon, was out of the country.
Both Khan and Bibi are accused in the case, which revolves around allegations that 50 billion rupees, returned to Pakistan by the UK’s National Crime Agency as part of a deal with a property tycoon, were improperly used.
The funds were reportedly intended for the national treasury, but were allegedly redirected for the private benefit of the businessman who helped Bibi and Khan set up a university.
Bibi, as administrator of Al-Qadir Belief, is accused of benefiting from this deal, including the acquisition of 458 kanals of land for Al-Qadir University in Jhelum.
