The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday imposed a Rs100,000 fine on a prosecutor from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for using delaying tactics during proceedings in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case involving former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
Court Hears Petitions for Sentence Suspension
The case was heard by a division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif.
The bench was hearing petitions filed by the PTI founder and his spouse seeking suspension of their sentences in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
During the hearing, the court expressed displeasure over what it described as delaying tactics by the prosecution, leading to the fine imposed on NAB’s special prosecutor.
Background of the £190 Million Case
The case, widely known as the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case, revolves around allegations that Imran Khan and others in 2019 adjusted Rs50 billion (around £190 million at the time) returned to Pakistan by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom.
The funds were linked to assets belonging to a Pakistani property tycoon that had been seized by the British agency. The NCA had earlier clarified that the settlement was a civil matter and did not represent a finding of guilt.
NAB Challenges Maintainability of Petitions
Before the hearing began, NAB submitted a miscellaneous petition requesting the court to declare the petitions filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi seeking suspension of their sentences inadmissible.
The prosecution argued that the main appeals against their convictions had not yet been fixed for hearing, and no formal notices had been issued. Therefore, it maintained that the suspension petitions were not maintainable.
Defence Lawyers Appear in Court
Senior lawyers Salman Safdar and Aitzaz Ahsan represented the PTI founder before the court.
Safdar told the bench that the defence was not seeking adjournment and urged the court to ensure timely proceedings. He also highlighted difficulties in obtaining the PTI founder’s signed power of attorney from prison despite repeated attempts over several months.
Ahsan informed the court that the document had been sent from Lahore but required the signature of his client, which authorities were asked to obtain from prison.
Court Expresses Concern Over Delays
During arguments, the defence accused the prosecution of repeatedly seeking adjournments and delaying the case. Safdar urged the bench to ensure that the matter is decided before the upcoming Eid al-Fitr.
He also alleged that authorities were determined to keep Imran Khan in custody and argued that the former premier had been unlawfully arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises in a previous incident.
Court Issues Notice and Adjourns Hearing
After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench imposed the Rs100,000 fine on the NAB special prosecutor.
The court also issued notice to Imran Khan regarding NAB’s petition challenging the maintainability of the suspension pleas and adjourned the hearing to a later date.
Following the proceedings, defence lawyers and family members of the PTI founder were seen outside the chief justice’s office seeking confirmation of the next hearing date, while NAB officials said the prosecutor would appear again at the subsequent hearing.
