Thursday 14 / November / 2024
Rawalpindi: An accountability court in Rawalpindi handed over a 14-page long questionnaire to former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the £190 million settlement case, Geo News reported.
As per Geo News, the questionnaire contains 79 questions related to the reference provided to the couple for their final statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898 of Pakistan.
Their counsel, Salman Safdar, received the questionnaire in both of their presence during the last hearing. Khan and Bibi were directed to submit their response to the Court today.
In a copy of the questionnaire available to Geo News, it was observed that the court asked the PTI founder whether he and his associates illegally obtained "monetary benefits", which include land measuring 458 kanals, and, in return, facilitated the "illegal and dishonest transfer/adjustment of £171.159 million out of £190 million, meant for the State of Pakistan".
According to Geo News, the court while citing evidence said co-accused Shahzad Akbar, former special assistant on accountability "in-connivance and active knowledge" of Imran deceptively floated a note dated December 2, 2019, to the deposed Prime Minister.
Seeking his response, the court stated, "The note contained misrepresented information, implying that funds frozen in the UK were to be surrendered to the State of Pakistan, mischaracterising of land purchase agreement as a fine and knowingly misrepresented that Supreme Court account was being operated for the benefit of State of Pakistan", as per Geo News.
The Accountability Court also noted, "It is in the evidence that the jailed politician, being a Prime Minister, dishonestly instructed for placing the note as additional agenda without prior circulation in violation of rules of business, 1973 despite the fact that your co-accused Mirza Shahzad Akbar with your active connivance and under your influence had already dishonestly and for ulterior motive signed and submitted the confidential deed to the National Crime Agency UK on Nov 11, 2019".
Geo News observed that the court also sought his response regarding the December 3 cabinet meeting, in which the note was presented and Imran insisted on approving paragraph 10 of the note without allowing any discussion on the additional agenda.
During the November 7 hearing, lawyers for Khan and Bibi completed the cross-examination of the last and 35th witness at Adiala jail, taking the reference conclusion to the final stage.
After cross-examination of a total of 35 witnesses in the reference, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) lawyers said that they did not want to present any further evidence.
Cross-examination of the last witness began on July 30 and continued for 20 hearings over three months. Also, Bushra Bibi's lawyer, Usman Gul, completed the cross-examination in 14 hearings.
Geo News reported that the '£190 million case', as per charges accuses Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi of allegedly adjusting PKR 50 billion, (which was £190 million at the time), sent by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with a property tycoon.
Subsequently, Khan got approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement.
It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.
According to the NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon's black money received from the UK crime agency. (ANI)
