Due to “winter break,” the verdict against Imran and Bushra in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case was postponed.

In the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, an accountability court in Islamabad postponed Monday its decision, which was scheduled for today.

On February 27, just after the general elections, Imran and Bushra were charged in the case.

In order to legalize Rs50 billion that the UK had discovered and repatriated to the nation during the previous PTI government, the complaint claims that Imran and Bushra Bibi bought billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd.

The verdict was reserved by the court on December 18 and was scheduled to be revealed today, December 23.

“The verdict will not be announced today; [winter] vacations are coming, and there is also a course at the high court,” judge Nasir Javed Rana stated during the hearing today.

The court will formally take a winter holiday starting tomorrow, December 24, and ending on January 1.

Following Imran’s attorney Khalid Chaudhry’s declaration that his team was anticipating the verdict today, Judge Nasir made his statement. The judge promised to announce the revised date for the verdict’s announcement shortly.

His party’s relationship with the government and the establishment has deteriorated significantly since Imran was imprisoned last year on the basis of multiple cases. Over the past year, the PTI has staged a number of protests, the majority of which became violent in response to governmental crackdown.

Tensions increased after the PTI’s “Final Call” power show last month, when the party was accused of a dozen murders of its supporters—a claim the government formally disputes—and there were renewed calls to outlaw the party and task forces established against an alleged “malicious campaign.”

However, the government retaliated by forming its own negotiation committee with members of the ruling coalition after Imran established a five-member committee to start negotiations and his legislators modified their stance in the house.

At their scheduled meeting today (Monday), the parties are expected to discuss and deliver their demands.

Imran and seven other people, including his wife, were the subject of a corruption reference filed by the National Accomplishment Bureau (NAB) in December in relation to the Al-Qadir University Trust.

Imran, who is presently incarcerated, was accused in the NAB reference of having a “pivotal role in the illicit transfer of funds meant for the state of Pakistan into an account designated for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi.” Additionally, it asserted that the accused purposefully and maliciously refused to furnish information under various pretexts, even after being offered numerous chances to do so and provide justification and information.

Suspects in this reference also include property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari; however, they fled and were later declared proclaimed offenders (PO) rather than participating in the inquiry and ensuing legal processes.

Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal specialist for the PTI government’s Assets Recovery Unit, and Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of Imran’s spouse, were both designated POs. All six of the accused’s properties were subsequently frozen.

During his December 10 testimony before the accountability court, Imran described the corruption accusations against him as “politically motivated,” which were allegedly planned by his rivals with the help of state institutions.

He had claimed that his political opponents had used institutions as weapons to stifle dissent and impede democracy.

The citation
“The accused […] were given multiple opportunities to justify and provide information, but they purposefully, maliciously, refused to provide the information on one or the other pretext,” according to the reference.

Additionally, it is clear from their answers that they have nothing to defend against the aforementioned accusations. Accordingly, they have all violated the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

According to the NAO, it further stated that the investigation’s progress and conclusions thus far “established that accused persons in connivance with each other have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices.”

According to the reference, Riaz ultimately benefited from the illegal transfer of monies intended for the state, in which Imran played a “pivotal role.”

According to the reference, Akbar, a former special assistant to the premier and head of the Asset Recovery Unit, was “crucially involved” in the “illegal design of the funds” that were intended for the state.

According to the reference, Malik and the other respondents had “actively aided, abetted, assisted, and acted in conspiracy” to divert cash intended for the state.

It further claimed that Shahzadi, a “frontwoman” for Imran and his wife, and Bushra Bibi both had “important” and “crucial” roles in the “illegal activities.”

The reference stated that since there was “sufficient incriminating evidence” to support the reference, it was “just and proper” to move forward with the eight accused.

It begged the court or any other to which the reference was committed to try and punish the eight accused in line with the law.