ISLAMABAD , May 18, 2023: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday he would not join an investigation by the NAB while he was out on bail.
In a statement addressed to the NAB’s deputy director, he denied the allegations against him as “absolutely false, frivolous and concocted”. He said he was in the process of applying for, and obtaining, bail in a number of other legal cases and would not be available before his protective bail expired on May 22.
PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi didn’t appear in the National Accountability Bureau’s hearing in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case on Thursday.
The couple was supposed to appear before the NAB Rawalpindi court along with relevant documents. The anti-graft watchdog had summoned the former prime minister in connection with an investigation related to £190m settlement from the UK.
Sources said Mr Khan’s legal team had advised him not to appear in NAB in personal capacity and, instead, submit a written response to the 20 questions asked about the corruption case which also involves a property tycoon.
Earlier, the NAB served summons on PTI chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra to join the investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case at 10am. A two-member NAB team served the summons at the Zaman Park residence.
Relief to Imran Khan
Earlier, the Islamabad High Court had provided ‘blanket relief’ to the PTI chief following his arrest by NAB in the case. The Supreme Court had declared his custody by the anti-corruption body ‘illegal”.
A NAB notice to Iman Khan sought details of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) 2019 probe into assets worth £190 million.
Moreover, the anti-graft body directed Mr Khan to bring along details regarding the NCA investigation and all documents related to the Al-Qadir University, including land papers, trust deeds and bank statements. The NAB also said the PTI chief could face legal action in case of non-compliance with the summons.
The case had made its way to the federal cabinet on Dec 3, 2019, where it was presented by then special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM), Mirza Shahzad Akbar, in a sealed envelope. The purpose of the presentation was to discuss the return of the funds which would be channelled into an account overseen by the registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
This particular account was associated with the recovery of a staggering Rs460 billion from the same property tycoon in connection with fines imposed on a housing scheme in Karachi.
Investigations have revealed that as part of an agreement to return the laundered money, the property tycoon offered a substantial compensation package. This included the transfer of 458 kanal, 4 marla and 58 square feet of land in Jhelum, alongside cash amounting to Rs285 million, which was destined for the Al-Qadir Trust.
The trustees of Al-Qadir Trust included then prime minister Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and his senior advisers Zulfiqar Bukhari and Babar Awan. However, it is worth noting that Awan and Bukhari’s positions were subsequently revoked on April 22, 2020.