Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi challenge Toshakhana-2 convictions in Islamabad High Court
Pakistan
Ex-PM Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi filed appeals in the Islamabad High Court against their 17-year Toshakhana-2 convictions.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, have filed separate appeals in the Islamabad High Court challenging their convictions in the Toshakhana-2 case.
The appeals were submitted through counsel Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry against the December 20 verdict of a special court that sentenced both to 17 years’ imprisonment each over the under-priced acquisition of luxury state gifts. The court also imposed a fine of Rs16.4 million on the couple.
The Islamabad High Court has assigned diary number 24560 to Imran Khan’s appeal, while Bushra Bibi’s petition has been registered as diary number 24561. The appellants have also requested that the matter be fixed for an early hearing.
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The convictions stem from the alleged purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set from the Toshakhana, the state repository that stores gifts received by public office holders. According to prosecution records, the set, which included a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings, was a gift from the Saudi crown prince and was valued at more than Rs71 million, a valuation also confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prosecutors alleged that the jewellery was appraised at only Rs5.9 million by a private firm, allowing it to be acquired at a nominal price. The valuation was carried out by private appraiser Sohaib Abbasi and later by Customs officials, with claims that undue influence was exerted by then principal secretary Inamullah Shah to undervalue the gift. The set was neither deposited in the Toshakhana nor, according to the prosecution, correctly valued.
Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand delivered the verdict after conducting more than 80 hearings at Adiala Jail. Under the ruling, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 10 years each under sections 34 and 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with an additional seven years’ imprisonment each under section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
In their appeals, the former ruling couple have asked the high court to set aside the Toshakhana-2 judgment, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish its case. They contend that the trial court relied on the testimony of an approver whose statement could not legally form the basis of a conviction, and that Sohaib Abbasi was unlawfully made an approver in the proceedings.
The petitions further argue that multiple punishments cannot be imposed for the same offence and that the special central court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case. The appellants maintain that the Bulgari jewellery set was retained in accordance with Toshakhana rules applicable to former rulers, that the reference was filed without a proper investigation, and that they were subjected to political victimisation.
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The Toshakhana-2 case formally began on July 13, 2024, when the National Accountability Bureau took Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi into custody at Adiala Jail. They remained in NAB custody for 37 days before the investigation was completed, after which a reference was filed on August 20, 2024.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on amendments to NAB laws, the case was transferred to the FIA Anti-Corruption Court on September 9, 2024, where charges were pursued under section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The trial commenced on September 16, 2024.
Bushra Bibi was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on October 23, 2024, and released the following day, while Imran Khan secured bail on November 20, 2024. Formal charges were framed against both on December 12, 2024.
Imran Khan has remained incarcerated since August 2023 and is currently serving a separate 14-year sentence in a land corruption case. Since his removal from office in 2022, he has faced dozens of cases ranging from corruption to terrorism-related allegations and matters involving state secrets, all of which he and his party strongly deny.
