In another blow to Imran Khan ahead of the general election, Pakistan’s anti-corruption court indicted him and his wife on Tuesday in the Toshakhana graft case filed by the anti-corruption watchdog.
The hearing was held in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi by Judge Muhammad Bashir of the Islamabad-based Accountability Court. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the case.
When the charges were read, Khan and Bushra Bibi were present. They both entered not-guilty pleas. The court had previously postponed the indictment because Khan’s wife had failed to appear.
The case claims that the 71-year-old former prime minister and his wife received 108 gifts from various heads of state, 58 of which they kept. They also undervalued them despite paying a mandatory tax to the state.
Among the gifts was a jewelry set given by the Saudi Crown Prince, which the couple kept for a low price rather than depositing it in the Toshakhana.
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Toshakhana — a Persian word that means “treasure house” — rules state that government officials can keep gifts by paying a fee, but the gift must first be deposited. The first couple either failed to deposit the gift or obtained it for a low price by allegedly abusing their authority.
This case is distinct from another Toshakhana case in which Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and later convicted based on the ECP’s plea for concealing the proceeds from the sale of state gifts. Khan was disqualified by the ECP, and his appeals were denied by the Islamabad High Court on December 6.
The same accountability court heard the Al-Qadir Trust case, which involved an alleged Rs60 billion in corruption. The former first couple is charged in the case, and the court was about to indict them when it was postponed because Bibi had not been given a copy of the case, which was given to her today on the court’s orders.
Separately, the court denied Khan’s bail application in the Al-Qadir Trust case. His wife, on the other hand, has already obtained a pre-arrest bail in the case.
The case revolves around allegations that Khan failed to deposit £190 million (roughly Rs60 billion) given to him by the British government. Instead, he allowed a property tycoon to use it to partially offset the Rs 460 billion fine imposed by the Supreme Court.
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There are also allegations that the tycoon provided more than 56 acres of land for the establishment of Al-Qadir University, which was founded under the Al-Qadir Trust. Khan and Bibi are both trustees.
Property developer Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Ali Riaz, two former Khan aides, including leaders Shehzad Akbar and Zulfiqar Bukhari, Bibi’s friend Farah Gogi, and lawyer Zia Mustafa, are also charged.
For failing to appear in court, the accountability court declared them absconders and ordered the freezing of all assets and bank accounts. The court also ordered authorities to seize all vehicles registered in the accused’s names and issued them with permanent arrest warrants.
