ISLAMABAD: After rejection of their acquittal pleas by a particular court docket two months in the past, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi on Monday filed a petition within the Islamabad Excessive Courtroom (IHC) searching for to nullify the decision in new Toshakhana case.
The decision given by Particular Choose Central Shahrukh Arjumand was challenged by the incarcerated former prime minister and his spouse within the excessive court docket.
The couple made the particular choose, the Federal Investigation Company (FIA), and the state events within the plea.
The petition said that the judgment of the trial court docket issued on November 14, 2024, was towards the regulation. The couple additionally appealed to the IHC to acquit them within the high-profile case.
The case pertains to an alleged unlawful sale of a jewelry set gifted to Bushra by the Saudi crown prince when her husband Khan was the prime minister of the nation from 2018 to 2022.
It’s price mentioning right here that Islamabad’s particular court docket had indicted the couple within the case final month after rejecting acquittal pleas.
In October, the previous first girl, after spending months behind bars, was lastly launched after the Islamabad Excessive Courtroom (IHC) accepted her post-arrest bail plea within the state depository case.
In November final yr, the IHC accepted the bail plea of the PTI founder within the new Toshakhana case.
The court docket accepted Khan’s bail plea towards two surety bonds price Rs1 million every. Nevertheless, he remained behind bars as a result of a plethora of instances towards him.
Khan and the previous first girl Bushra Bibi had been taken into custody within the case on July 13, 2024, the identical day the couple was acquitted within the Iddat case.
The case was initially filed by the Nationwide Accountability Bureau (NAB). Nevertheless, in gentle of NAB Amendments, the FIA took over the case and filed its challan in September 2024.
Nevertheless, it isn’t to be combined with the primary Toshakhana case whereby the couple was sentenced to 14 years in jail and was handed down a wonderful of Rs1.57 billion — Rs787 million every — in January.
The couple’s sentence within the first (previous) Toshakhana case was suspended by the Islamabad Excessive Courtroom (IHC) in April 2024.
Toshakhana 2.0
The reference filed by the NAB was associated to a jewelry set gifted to Bushra by the Saudi royal household when her husband Imran was the prime minister of the nation from 2018 to 2022.
The anti-graft watchdog additional alleged that in his time period as prime minister, Imran and his spouse had acquired a complete of 108 items from completely different heads of state and international dignitaries.
It alleged that the previous first girl acquired the jewelry set — comprising a hoop, bracelet, necklace a pair of earrings — on her go to to Saudi Arabia in Might 2021. It mentioned the PTI founder and his spouse illegally saved the jewelry set.
The reference states that the deputy army secretary briefed the Toshakhana part officer to estimate and declare the value of the jewelry set, which it talked about, was not deposited in Toshakhana.
The jewelry firm bought the necklace for €300,000 and earrings for €80,000 on Might 25, 2018. The data concerning the value of the bracelet and ring couldn’t be obtained from the corporate.
On Might 28, 2021, the value of the jewelry set was estimated at Rs70.56 million; the value of the necklace was Rs50.64 million and the value of the earrings included within the jewelry valued at Rs10.50 million again then.
In accordance with the foundations, the 50% worth of the jewelry set is roughly Rs35.28 million. The nationwide exchequer suffered a lack of roughly Rs35.28 million after the jewelry was undervalued, as per the reference.