ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – A special court on Thursday indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana-II case.
Former prime minister Imran and Bushra Bibi were both present in court of judge Shahrukh Arjumand who heard the case in Adiala Jail.
The judge read out the charges and adjourned the hearing until Dec 18.
It may be noted that the NAB (National Accountability Bureau) investigated the case. But, after amendments to the NAB law, the case was transferred to the FIA. In September 2024, the FIA submitted the case to the court after conducting the necessary investigations.
Earlier on Dec 10, the indictment proceedings against Imran and his wife were deferred till Dec 12 without any proceedings. Before that, the hearing was held on Dec 5 but without any proceedings.
THE CASE
The case is based on allegations that Imran and Bushra Bibi retained state gifts without fulfilling legal obligations.
According to NAB reference, Bushra Bibi was gifted a Bulgari jewellery set during a visit to Saudi Arabia from May 7 to 10, 2021. The set included a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, and a pair of earrings.
The reference alleged that the couple illegally retained the jewellery set.
On May 18, 2021, the Deputy Military Secretary informed the Section Officer of Toshakhana to assess and declare the value of the jewellery, but it was not deposited.
Later, the necklace was sold to the Saudi Arabian franchise Solugent Trading on May 25, 2018, for 300,000 euros and the earrings for 80,000 euros.
However, the prices of the bracelet and ring were not available. On May 28, the total value of the jewellery set was approximately Rs75,661,600.
The necklace was valued at Rs56,496,000 and the earrings at Rs15,065,600.
According to Toshakhana rules, the jewellery set's value after paying 50 percent should be Rs35,765,800.
However, the NAB claimed that by undervaluing the jewellery, the national treasury suffered a loss of Rs32,851,300.
The former prime minister and his wife violated Section 9 and Sub-sections 3, 4, 6, and 12 of the NAB Ordinance 1999, the NAB alleged in the reference.