Imran, Bushra Bibi granted bail in separate cases
Pakistan
The PTI chief will appear before the combined investigation team today
LAHORE (Dunya News) - An anti-terrorism court of Islamabad on Tuesday extended interim bail of PTI Chairman Imran Khan till June 8 in eight cases while an accountability court granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi till May 31 in Al-Qadir Trust case.
Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Raja Jawad Abbas conducted hearing of the bail applications in eight cases of terrorism including violence at Judicial Complex.
Imran Khan's lawyer Salman Safdar advanced arguments and said that on the orders of the Lahore High Court, a JIT visited Zaman Park and conducted an extensive investigation. He said Imran had security threats so Lahore High Court asked JIT to visit Imran at Zaman Park to record his statement.
He said it was a wrong perception that Imran did not want to join the investigation process. Salman Safdar said the PTI chief was ready to address any query. “We were given chance in the anti-terrorism court in Lahore and we joined investigation,” he said.
Giving arguments, the Mr Safdar added that they had to appear in the Islamabad High Court on June 8 in different cases. The special prosecutor, while giving arguments in the court, said that Imran Khan did not appear before JIT on April 6 and April 18. The JIT had been formed in four cases but the PTI chairman did not become part of the investigation process.
The court remarked that the High Court had directed him to go there and conduct an investigation, to which the special prosecutor replied that during interim bail it was necessary to join the investigation.
Imran Khan's lawyer said that they did not want to investigate the crime but wanted him to visit their office. He said he was ready to answer any question.
The special prosecutor said that Islamabad High Court had ordered Mr Khan to join the investigation.
During the hearing, Mr Khan came to the rostrum and said after the first attack on his life, another attempt was made on his life at Judicial Complex. He said a day earlier the interior minister had stated that his life is in danger. He said interior minister was from opposition party and he was telling that his life was in danger.
” I put myself in danger every time when I leave the house,” added Mr Khan.
During the hearing, the court expressed displeasure over the absence of JIT and said that if the JIT was above the law, why did they not come?
Separately, an accountability court of Islamabad on Tuesday granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi till May 31 in Al-Qadir Trust case.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, alongwith his wife Bushra Bibi, arrived at Judicial Complex Islamabad and appeared before the accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir. Barrister Khawaja Haris advanced arguments on behalf of Bushra Bibi.
The court, while approving interim bail to Bushra Bibi, asked her to submit surety bonds of Rs 500,000. Bushra Bibi marked her attendance in the court. ATC Judge Muhammad Bashir conducted hearing of the case.
Strict security arrangements had been made around Judicial Complex Islamabad. PTI Chairman Imran Khan's legal team was also accompanied with him.
The couple will later join the combined investigation team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case in Rawalpindi today,
In response to NAB’s summon, Imran wrote back that he would be in Islamabad on May 23 for the hearing of different cases against him. He added that he would be able to attend the NAB headquarters in Rawalpindi at 11am after he was done with the court hearings.
The PTI chief also demanded that the inquiry report of the matter or its copy should be provided to his lawyer immediately.
A day earlier, NAB issued a call-up notice to the PTI chairman for May 23 at 10am at its Rawalpindi headquarters.
Earlier, the anti-graft body had summoned the former premier on May 18 too in connection with the case retitled from the ‘Al-Qadir Trust reference’ to ‘National Crime Agency £190 million scandal’ but he skipped it.
On Friday, a two-member team of NAB Lahore visited Imran’s Zaman Park residence in the city and returned after delivering the notice.
Speaking on the occasion, one of the NAB officials told the media that they had arrived to hand over the summon in connection with the £190 million scandal.
He added that Imran’s lawyers had received the notice.
The NAB has summoned the former prime minister in connection with an investigation related to the £190m settlement from the UK. A NAB notice to Iman Khan sought details of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) 2019 probe into assets worth £190 million from the ousted premier.
Moreover, the anti-graft body directed Mr Khan to bring along details regarding the NCA investigation and all documents related to the Al-Qadir University including land papers, trust deeds and bank statements.
On May 9, Imran was arrested in connection with the case from the premises of the Islamabad High Court by dozens of Rangers personnel, triggering countrywide protests.
However, on May 11, the Supreme Court came to his rescue, declaring that his arrest was “illegal” and ordered his release.
On May 12, the Islamabad High Court stopped the authorities from arresting the PTI chairman in any case, including undisclosed ones, filed against him anywhere in the country till May 15.
It also granted the PTI chief interim bail for two weeks in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
NAB launched an investigation against Imran, his wife Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al-Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer.
According to the charges, the deposed premier and others allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion -- £190 million at the time – sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with the property tycoon.
They also face charges of receiving undue benefits in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala in Sohawa to set up the Al-Qadir University.
During the PTI government, Britain’s NCA seized assets worth £190 million from a property tycoon in Britain. The agency said the assets would be passed on to the Pakistani government.
It added that the settlement with the Pakistani property tycoon was “a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt”.
Later, then prime minister Imran acquired the approval of the settlement with Britain’s crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement.
It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.
Subsequently, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad a few weeks after the PTI-led government approved the agreement with the property tycoon.
PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi, and her close friend Farah Khan were appointed as members of the trust.
Two to three months after the cabinet’s approval, the property tycoon transferred 458 canals of land to Bukhari, a close aide of the PTI chief, which he later transferred to the trust.
Later, Bukhari and Awan opted out as the trustees. That trust is now registered in the name of Khan, Bushra Bibi and Farah.
NAB officials were earlier probing the alleged misuse of powers in the process of recovery of “dirty money” received from the UK crime agency.
Following the emergence of "irrefutable evidence" in the case, the inquiry was converted into an investigation.
According to the NAB officials, Khan and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the UK crime agency.
