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Express Tribune
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Imran, Bushra move IHC for expedited hearing of sentence suspension pleas in £190m case
Listen to article Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have filed an application with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) requesting an expedited hearing for their pleas to suspend their convictions in the £190 million case. Earlier in January, Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were convicted in the £190 million case. Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Bushra Bibi received a seven-year jail term. Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the order in a courtroom inside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. In addition to the prison sentences, the court imposed fines of Rs1 million on Imran and Rs500,000 on Bushra. If the fines are not paid, Imran Khan will serve an additional six months in prison, and Bushra Bibi will face an extra three months. The verdict also declared that the property of the "sham trust," Al-Qadir University Project Trust, is to be forfeited to the Federal Government in accordance with Section 10(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. According to documents available to Express Tribune, the petitions were filed through Barrister Salman Safdar on Tuesday, urging the court to schedule a hearing 'without any further delay, as the petitions involve the fundamental issues of liberty and freedom." Read More: Imran, Bushra convicted in £190m case The petition further highlights that the announcement of the judgment has been delayed three times, raising concerns about the fairness and transparency of the judicial process. The petition states, 'The appeal against the conviction was duly filed on 27.01.2025. However, the Registrar's Office raised objections, which were later removed, causing unnecessary delays.' Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi expressed concerns over repeated delays caused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which has sought adjournments in the case. Despite assurances from the court, the suspension of sentences has not yet been reviewed. 'NAB has repeatedly sought adjournments on the pretext of engaging special prosecutors in this matter,' the petition says. The petition points out that the case had already been scheduled for hearings four times. However, despite assurances to the counsel that a short adjournment would be given and a proper date would be set to decide the suspension petitions, no date has been provided yet. Also Read: Imran, wife move IHC for bail in £190m case It further notes that the Special Prosecutor appeared at the next hearing but again sought additional time. 'The applicant is facing repeated prosecutions, and in two cases, he has already been acquitted, while in the Toshakhana case, this Honourable Court suspended his sentence with the consent of the prosecutor,' the petition adds. The plea argues that, given the urgency of the matter and the nature of the relief sought, there should be no legal or procedural barriers preventing the scheduling of the application for sentence suspension. This application directly concerns the fundamental right to liberty, guaranteed under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. The petition further states that the right to be treated according to the law is a fundamental right under Article 4 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which is being denied to the applicants due to unjust delays. Liberty, guaranteed under Article 9, is also being violated as the request for sentence suspension continues to be unduly delayed. Despite judicial policy prioritising bail and suspension applications, the applicants' case is being deprioritised without legal justification. What is the £190 million case? The case alleges that Imran Khan and others involved adjusted Rs50 billion—equivalent to £190 million at the time—that was transferred by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government. As PM, Imran Khan obtained cabinet approval for this settlement on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the confidential details of the agreement. The arrangement had stipulated that the funds would be submitted to the Supreme Court. Also Read: Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi indicted in Toshakhana 2.0 case According to NAB officials, Imran and his wife received land worth billions of rupees intended for the construction of an educational institute. NAB filed the reference on December 1, 2023 against eight accused persons including Imran and his wife. The court on January 6, 2024 declared the rest of six accused proclaimed offenders as they did not face the trial and escaped to foreign countries. The court indicted Imran and Bushra on February 27, 2024. The prosecution presented 35 witnesses, whom the defense later cross-examined. Key witnesses in the case included PM's former principal secretary Azam Khan, former defense minister Pervez Khattak and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal. Three different judges presided over the case at various stages of the trial while the final investigative officer, Mian Umar Nadeem, was cross-examined after 38 hearings. The accountability court provided the accused 15 opportunities to complete their statements under Section 342. However, no witnesses were presented by the defence.
Express Tribune
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
NAB probes ex-SPSC chairman, 15 others over 'illegal appointments'
The premier graft-buster has launched an inquiry against the former chairman of the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) and several other officials over allegations of corruption and irregularities in the recruitment process. The NAB initiated the probe following reports of large-scale illegal appointments and misuse of authority within the SPSC. The graft-buster has formally sought the complete service and recruitment records of 16 current and former SPSC officials, including ex-chairman Noor Muhammad Jadmani, secretaries, members, controllers, and additional controllers. Those named in the investigation include Aftab Anwar Baloch, Haresh Chander, Saindad Solangi, Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh, Ahmad Ali Qureshi, Abdul Karim Durrani, Hadi Bux Kalhoro, Shaukat Ujjan, Javed Chachar, Imtiaz Jhagirani, Muhammad Usman Memon, Abdul Khaliq Jamali, Akhlak Ahmad Kalwar, and Sohail Patoli. In a formal letter to the incumbent SPSC chairman, NAB has directed the commission to submit within seven days all relevant documents, including complete records of all court petitions filed against the commission, details of cases that have been decided, as well as those still pending adjudication. The accountability watchdog has further warned that any attempt to withhold information, cause undue delay, or mislead the investigation will be treated as obstruction of inquiry under Section 31 of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999. The offence carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years' imprisonment. Sources told The Express Tribune that the commission had previously submitted incomplete records, prompting NAB to express dissatisfaction and demand full disclosure within the stipulated time. In the next phase of the investigation, individuals who allegedly benefitted from the irregular recruitment process will also be summoned.
Express Tribune
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Justice for sale: true cost of plea bargains
Listen to article The Communist Manifesto (Marx, 1996) opens with a spectre, an idea so disruptive that it promised to upend entire class structures and build a society where development was free and fair. The dream, of course, was grand. But like most idealisms, it tripped over its blind spot: humans. Marx theorised systems but underestimated their participants. William Golding may have understood better: we do not destroy systems, we build them to destroy themselves. Plea bargaining, in Pakistan, is one such self-defeating system. A mechanism born of necessity, marketed as reform, and now repurposed as cover for legalised impunity. It started with a logic: courts are overwhelmed, cases drag on for decades, prisons are overcrowded. Let the accused confess, pay back a portion of what they stole, and be released. On paper, it's pragmatic. In practice, it's industrial-scale laundering – of money, names and responsibility. In the United States, plea bargains function within a known structure. There's Rule 11, sentencing guidelines, judicial supervision. It is flawed, certainly, and often accused of coercing confessions from the poor. But the system at least performs its due process. There is a courtroom. There is a record. There is the illusion of checks. Pakistan, in contrast, has no need for illusions. Section 25 of the National Accountability Ordinance allows for what is called "voluntary return" or a "plea bargain"— terms that suggest civility. What actually happens is that the accused confesses, offers a settlement figure, and in return is granted freedom. No trial. No conviction. No record. No stigma. We don't even pretend this is justice. We just call it "recovery". And some recover remarkably well. The public was defrauded in three separate housing projects by an individual who settled each case with NAB without conviction. Each time, he re-emerged with a fresh business name, a clean legal history, and a ready market. This is not a loophole. This is the system. At the centre of it stands the NAB chairman. He decides who gets to bargain, what the terms are, and when the deal is done. The courts are often little more than silent endorsers. Victims are not asked. The public is not told. The media may report a number, but the documents stay tucked away. And still, we insist on calling this deterrence. As though the quiet return of stolen wealth is the same as punishment. As though justice can be transacted like a tax dispute. The logic unravels when you start asking who actually benefits. The accused avoids prison. The state reclaims a portion of the loss. And the public, the ones defrauded, receive nothing. No apology. No compensation. No closure. A man who steals from the state pays the state and walks away. It's restorative, yes, but only for the powerful party in the room. The rest of us are left watching from the gallery. In another time, we held public trials. Witch-hunts, literal ones. The Salem witch trials were brutal, but at least they were honest about their spectacle. Now we conduct no trial at all. Guilt is negotiated, not examined. Evidence is sidestepped in favour of receipts. The public is asked to believe that the return of a few billion rupees justifies the loss of accountability. We have created a justice system with no memory. No scars. No institutional record. A man can offend, confess, pay, and return to public life as though nothing happened. Repeat offenders are welcomed back into business. Sometimes even into politics. And we nod approvingly because the docket is lighter. And what of those who don't or can't bargain? They rot in jails that barely qualify as habitable. The accused poor are thrown into remand cells where illness spreads faster than legal representation. Those accused of petty theft or minor offences endure years awaiting trial. They do not get settlements. They get silence. Plea or drown. That's the real choice. And yet, we continue to treat the return of embezzled funds as a moral victory. When Changpeng Zhao of Binance was fined $4.3 billion in the United States, he still served time, albeit only four months. Sam Bankman-Fried, the FTX founder who refused to settle, got 24 years. The contrast is staggering, but also revealing. In the US, even the largest financial criminals receive punishment, but it still reflects the same inequality: cooperation is rewarded, wealth softens consequences, and high-profile plea deals come with PR statements, not moral reckoning. It's not a triumph of justice, it's a controlled descent. But even that descent exists. In Pakistan, there is no fall at all. Accountability ends with a cheque. The wealthier the crime, the better the outcome. This isn't just unsustainable, it's corrosive. It erodes what little faith remains in institutions. It reinforces the idea that laws are for the poor, and negotiations are for the elite. It teaches that crime, when well-funded, is not only survivable, it's reversible. Plea bargaining doesn't need to be abolished. But it must be reformed beyond recognition. All agreements must be made public. Repeat offenders must be disqualified. Judicial oversight must be meaningful, not procedural. And the power to investigate must be distinct from the power to pardon. Most importantly, victims. Whether individuals or the public at large, must have a place at the table. Until then, what we have is not justice. It is a system of selective mercy, reserved for those who can afford it. Because here, justice isn't blind. It knows exactly who you are. And how much you're worth.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
NAB summons Azam Swati in funds inquiry
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter has issued a formal call-up notice to senior politician Mohammad Azam Khan Swati in connection with an ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal withdrawal and misuse of government funds. The inquiry launched under Sections 18(c) and 19 of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, centers on financial irregularities involving officials of the District Accounts Office in Kohistan and associated entities. The case pertains to government funds listed under MES 323205. According to the notice, NAB received a complaint suggesting that Swati may possess crucial financial documents relevant to the case. He has been directed to appear before the Combined Inquiry Team (CIT-I), Investigation Wing-I, at NAB's regional office in Phase-V, Hayatabad, Peshawar. Swati has been asked to present himself on June 23, 2025, at 11:00 AM, along with complete records of all payments received from M/s Kohistan Associate and Builders during the year 2024. "In light of the nature of the allegations, prima facie it has been observed that you are in custody of important records relevant to the case," the notice reads, emphasizing that the documentation is essential for a fair and thorough inquiry. The notice also cautions that failure to comply may result in coercive action under the relevant provisions of the NAO, 1999. The call-up notice was signed by Muhammad Kamran, Deputy Director (Coordination), on behalf of the Director, Investigation Wing-I. This development comes amid heightened scrutiny of alleged public fund misappropriations in various districts across K-P, as NAB steps up its crackdown on both current and former government officials.
Business Recorder
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
‘Al-Qadir Trust scam': IHC again defers hearing on appeals of IK, Bushra
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Wednesday, again deferred hearing of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi's appeals seeking suspension of their sentence in 190 million pound case. A two-member bench of IHC comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif was to conduct hearing of the case but the case was adjourned due to non-availability of Justice Asif. The IHC's decision to defer the case led the protests by PTI leaders and workers outside the court premises. The protestors included PTI lawyers, workers, Imran Khan's sisters Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, along with PTI Punjab Chief Organizer Aliya Hamza and Senator Seemee Ezdi. The protesters demanded the suspension of sentences and bail for Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the 190 million pound case. Later, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also arrived at the IHC to join the protest while they also met Secretary to IHC Acting Chief Justice for fixation of the case. In this matter, Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi have approached the IHC seeking suspension of their sentences. They have moved the court through their counsel Barrister Salman Safdar and cited the state and Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as respondents. Counsel Salman stated in the petition that the petitioners were convicted by the Accountability Court (I) Islamabad through judgment dated 17.01.2025, wherein, they were held guilty for commission of offence of corruption and corrupt practices as defined u/s 9 (a) (ii) (iv) (vi) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 and Imran was sentenced u/s 10 (a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 to undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) for 14 years and fine amounting to Rs10,00,000. Through the instant petition, they sought indulgence of this court for 'Suspension' of conviction and sentence awarded to them, till the final disposal of the main appeal already filed in the IHC. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
