File photo of PTI chief Imran Khan
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday filed a reference against former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and seven others, including his wife Bushra Bibi and property tycoon Malik Riaz, over the Al-Qadir Trust case.
According to the reference, Khan and his wife were given billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land by Bahria Town Limited—Riaz’s company—in exchange for legalizing £140 million (roughly Rs. 50 billion) recovered by the U.K. and returned to Pakistan while Khan was prime minister. The anti-graft watchdog had previously arrested Khan in connection with the case on May 9, triggering nationwide riots. However, he was subsequently released after the Supreme Court ruled that his arrest from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was unlawful.
Earlier this month, NAB again arrested Khan—who is already incarcerated at Adiala Jail—for inquiries into the case. He has since been sent on judicial remand in the same case.
Apart from Riaz, Khan and Bushra, the reference also implicates Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of Bushra; former special assistants to the prime minister Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Zulfiqar Bukhari; legal expert for the PTI government’s Assets Recovery Unit Ziaul Mustafa Nasim and Riaz’s son, Ahmed Riaz.
According to the reference submitted in an accountability court in Islamabad, the accused “deliberately, with malafide intention, refused to provide the information on one or the other pretext” despite being granted multiple opportunities to do so. “Furthermore, it is established through their responses that they have nothing in their defense to rebut the above-mentioned allegations. Thus, they all have committed an offense” under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), it added.
The reference claims investigation into the case has thus far “established that accused persons in connivance with each other have committed the offense of corruption and corrupt practices” as defined under the NAO. It also accuses Khan of playing a “pivotal role” in transferring funds meant for the state to a Supreme Court account meant for a Rs. 450 billion fine imposed on Bahria Town.
Similarly, Akbar—who is currently in exile in London—has been accused of a “crucial role” in the “illegal design of the funds” meant for the state. Bahria owner Riaz, meanwhile, is alleged to have “actively aided, abetted and assisted and acted in conspiracy” with the other respondents for the diversion of funds earmarked for the state.
Bushra and her friend Farhat are, meanwhile, accused of playing a “significant” and “crucial” role in the “illegal activities,” with Farhat dubbed a “frontwoman” for the former prime minister and his wife. In light of these allegations, read the reference, it was “just and proper” to proceed against all eight suspects. As such, it argued, they should be tried and punished in accordance with the law.
The Al-Qadir Trust case pertains to the alleged illegal acquisition of land for, and the construction of, the Al-Qadir University in exchange for adjusting £140 million recovered from Riaz and his family by the U.K.’s National Crime Agency against the Rs. 450 billion liabilities imposed on Bahria Town Karachi by the Supreme Court.
A day earlier, the PTI chairman filed a petition claiming cases have been filed against him on political grounds due to which his reputation is badly damaged. He also requested that his post-arrest bail be approved until a judgment is made in the case.