Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently in jail, was questioned by the country’s anti-corruption watchdog in a multibillion-rupee corruption case, as reported on Monday.
A team from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) visited the 71-year-old leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party at Adiala Jail on Sunday, conducting over two hours of interrogation regarding charges in the GBP 190 million (Rs 50 billion) Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
Khan, held in the high-security Rawalpindi jail since September 26 on various charges, faced scrutiny from the NAB team over the settlement of 190 million pounds, approximately Rs 50 billion, sent to Pakistan by the UK’s National Crime Agency.
The funds, recovered from a Pakistani property tycoon, were intended for deposit into the national treasury. However, during Khan’s tenure as prime minister, the amount was permitted to be used by the businessman to partially settle a Supreme Court-imposed fine of about Rs 450 billion. In return, the tycoon allegedly gifted approximately 57 acres of land to a trust established by Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for the Al-Qadir University in Punjab’s Jhelum district.
Officials from the accountability bureau had been visiting Adiala Jail since November 15 to investigate Khan’s role in the case. The notice served to the accused cited offences of corruption and corrupt practices under NAB laws. A previous NAB notice to Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, accused her of receiving material and monetary benefits from Bahria Town Ltd, under the guise of donations to Al-Qadir University Trust.
Khan has been incarcerated since August 5 following a conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case. After being shifted from Attock prison to Adiala Jail in September, the former cricketer-turned-politician, ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022, faces over 150 registered cases against him since his removal from power.
