- The couple’s attorney receives a questionnaire at the final hearing.
- Both were directed to file a response with the court on November 11.
- The court questions whether Imran and his aides received “financial benefits.”
RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Accountability Court has handed over a 14-page questionnaire to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the ₹190 million settlement case.
The questionnaire, containing 79 reference questions, was submitted to the couple for their final statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898.
Their lawyer, Salman Safdar, received the questionnaire in the presence of the accused at the last session. The couple has been directed to submit their replies to the court on November 11 (tomorrow).
In the questionnaire – a copy of which is available with Geographic NewsThe court asked the PTI founder whether he and his associates had illegally obtained “financial benefits” – which included land along 458 kanals – and in return, facilitated “unlawful and dishonest transfer/settlement of £171.159 million out of £190 million Sterling, meaning Pakistan.
The court while citing evidence said that co-accused Shehzad Akbar — former Special Assistant on Accountability — “with connivance and active knowledge” of Imran inappropriately posed a note dated December 2, 2019, to the ousted prime minister.
Requesting his response, the court said: “The memorandum contained misleading information, implying that funds frozen in the UK were to be handed over to the State of Pakistan, falsely portraying the land purchase agreement as a fine, and deliberately misrepresenting that a High Court account was in operation.” “. For the benefit of the State of Pakistan.”
Further, the accountability court said: “It is evidence that the imprisoned politician, in his capacity as Prime Minister, dishonestly instructed to place the memorandum as additional agenda without prior circular in violation of the Labor Rules, 1973 despite the fact that your co-accused Mirza Shahzad Akbar “With active complicity and effectively under your influence dishonestly and for an ulterior motive, you signed and submitted the confidential document to the UK National Crime Agency on 11 November 2019.”
The court also sought his response in relation to the December 3 Cabinet meeting, in which the memorandum was presented and Imran insisted on approving Paragraph 10 of the memorandum without allowing any discussion on the additional agenda.
“Based on your insistence and influence, the aforementioned additional agenda was approved without discussion. What do you say about it?”
At the hearing of 7 November, the lawyers of the first couple completed the cross-examination of the last witness and the 35th witness in Adiala Prison, moving the reference conclusion to the final stage.
After questioning a total of 35 witnesses in the reference, NAB lawyers said they did not want to present any further evidence.
The final witness examination began on July 30 and continued for 20 hearings over three months. Bushra Bibi’s lawyer, Osman Gul, also completed the interrogation in 14 hearings.
What is the £190 million issue?
According to the charges in the case, Imran and other defendants allegedly modified 50 billion rupees – £190 million at the time – sent by the British National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of an agreement with a real estate tycoon.
The then Prime Minister subsequently obtained his government’s approval for the settlement with the UK NCA on December 3, 2019, without revealing details of the secret agreement.
It was decided to submit the funds to the Supreme Court on behalf of the businessman.
According to NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife acquired land worth billions of rupees from the real estate tycoon, to build an educational institute, in exchange for a deal to provide a legal cover to the black money the realty tycoon earned from crime in the UK. an agency.