CJP-led bench to hear PTI chief's pleas against Toshakhana verdict tomorrow
Pakistan
The former premier has challenged the IHC ruling in the case
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday constituted a three-member bench to hear the petitions filed by the PTI chairman against the Islamabad High Court’s ruling in the Toshakhana case.
The bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Mazahar Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Mandokhel will hear the case on August 23 (Wednesday).
The former premier has challenged the IHC decision of remanding back the Toshakhana case to the trial court to decide on its admissibility.
On August 3, the IHC again remanded the Toshakhana case against the PTI chief to the trial court to decide on its maintainability by invalidating its previous decision.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had issued the ruling on a set of petitions filed by the former prime minister challenging the admissibility of the case, jurisdiction of the court and other aspects of the case.
The high court has rejected a petition of the PTI chief, seeking transfer of the case to another court, as it ruled that Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar will continue to hear the case.
This was the third time that the IHC has remanded the case to the trial court to decide on the admissibility as the latter had twice declared it maintainable.
Subsequently, the trial court sentenced the former primer to jail for three years after finding him guilty of not declaring the gifts he had retained from the state depository in the assets declarations submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The PTI chief is currently serving his jail term at the Attock jail with petitions against the conviction pending with the high court.
The Case
Last year, a reference was filed against him by lawmakers from the ruling coalition accusing him of not sharing the details of gifts he retained from Toshakhana in his assets declarations and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had concluded in October last year that the PTI chief filed false statements regarding the gifts.
The electoral watchdog subsequently disqualified him for being dishonest and corrupt and approached the district and sessions court seeking criminal proceedings against the PTI chief for allegedly misleading officials about the gifts.
