IHC to hear PTI chief's petition challenging Toshakhana judgement on Aug 22
Pakistan
AD&SJ Dilawar's verdict was based on misinterpretation: petition
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman challenging his conviction in the Toshakhana case will be heard by a two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Aug 22.
The bench comprises of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Jahangiri.
In the petition, the PTI chief requested court to declare the judgement of the trial court illegal and set it aside.
The PTI chief was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs100,000 by Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar on Aug 5 after being found guilty of graft in the Toshakhana case. The verdict also resulted in his disqualification for five years.
The petition says the judgement is "totally misdirected" and that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against the appellant. It contends that the verdict of judge Dilawar was based on hyper-technical grounds and misinterpretation of the law rather than concrete evidence.
It also alleges that the judge did not consider crucial factors such as the cost of assets as mentioned by the PTI chief's accountant. The petition raises concerns about the fairness of the trial.
