- Court adjourns hearing of the case due to leave of Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand
ISLAMABAD: The court postponed the indictment proceeding against incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in Toshakhana-II reference on Saturday.
The court adjourned the hearing till October 29, without any proceedings due to the leave of Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand. The court will now indict both the former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana II on October 29.
Earlier, the indictment proceedings against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana II case were postponed due to security reasons, the previous hearing was held in the Judicial Complex Islamabad instead of Adiala Jail.
The NAB had filed Toshakhana-II reference on August 20 against Khan and his wife about a jewellery set gifted by the Saudi Crown Prince.
On September 10, the Accountability Court transferred Toshakhana-II reference against the PTI founding chairman and his wife to Special Judge Central as the case following the restoration of amendment NAB Ordinance 1999 by the Supreme Court, does not fall under the ambit of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Accountability Court judge, Muhammad Ali Warraich, while hearing the post-arrest bail pleas of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in Toshakhana-II case, forwarded the case to Special Judge Central.
The judge observed that Special Judge Central Humayun Dilawar would hear Khan and his wife’s post-arrest bail applications.
The NAB prosecutor, arguing before the court, said that following the restoration of amendments, the case is no longer within the NAB’s ambit.
He objected to the hearing of Khan and his wife’s bail by the Accountability Court. After restoration of the NAB’s amendment hearing of bail pleas do not fall under the jurisdiction of this court, he said.
He said that after amendment in the NAB law, the case had to be transferred to the relevant court.
The court, to which the case would be transferred, would decide over the post-arrest bail applications, he said.
Bushra Bibi released from prison on bail
Earlier, Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has been released from prison nearly nine months after the couple was sentenced in a case linked to the illegal sale of state gifts.
Bibi was released from Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday after being granted bail the previous day by the Islamabad High Court.
Both Bibi and Khan were sentenced to 14 years in jail in January after being found guilty on multiple charges of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules.
A court ruled that the couple had illegally sold gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($505,000) received during Khan’s 2018-2022 premiership from a state treasury known as the Toshakhana, or treasure house.
The Khan denied the charges, saying they were trumped up by the government to victimise the 72-year-old former cricket star, who has been facing dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022.
