
An accountability court in Rawalpindi on Monday postponed the announcement of its verdict in the £190 million corruption case involving former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
This marks the third delay in the verdict. Judge Nasir Javed Rana cited the absence of both the accused and their lawyers as the reason for deferring the decision.
The judge stated that he arrived at the court at 8:30 am (local time) and issued two summons for Imran Khan to appear, but neither he nor his wife showed up. Present in the courtroom were the prosecution team from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), media representatives, and court staff; however, no member of the defence team attended.
Consequently, the court postponed the verdict to January 17.
This is the third time the verdict has been delayed. The previous hearing took place at Adiala Jail on December 18, 2024. Initially, the court planned to deliver the verdict on December 23, 2024, but it was rescheduled twice, first to January 6 and then to January 13. The trial, which concluded in one year, is notable as the only case involving Imran Khan to be resolved within such a short timeframe.
The case gained prominence after NAB arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan on November 13, 2023. He and Bushra Bibi were indicted on February 27, 2024. During the trial, 35 witness statements were recorded, and the case passed through four different judges. Initially, Judge Mohammad Bashir presided over the hearings, followed by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, then Judge Mohammad Ali Waraich, before returning to Judge Rana for the final proceedings.
Despite being given 15 opportunities to complete their statements under Section 342, the defence team did not present any witnesses. The six-member NAB prosecution team was led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and included special prosecutors Amjad Pervaiz, Sohail Arif, Irfan Bola, Barrister Owais Arshad, and Chaudhry Nawaz. The defence team included Barrister Salman Safdar, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas, and Usman Gul, among others.
The case revolves around allegations that Imran Khan and others misused £190 million transferred by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government. As Prime Minister, Khan secured cabinet approval for this settlement on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the agreement.
According to NAB, the funds were intended for the Supreme Court but were allegedly used to acquire land worth billions of rupees, ostensibly for an educational institute.
The court’s next hearing is set for January 17, where it is expected to finally deliver the long-awaited verdict.