The verdict in the £190 million Al Qadir Trust case against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi is expected to be announced on Monday (today). The staff of the accountability court has informed the former PM’s lawyers regarding the proceedings.

The hearing for the reference would take place today in Adiala Jail.

Khan’s lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry stated on Sunday that the staff of the Islamabad accountability court has “formally notified them.” The decision is scheduled to be announced at 11am in the presence of both suspects.

The accountability court postponed the verdict in the case twice before. Judge Nasir Javed Rana conducted the last hearing of the trial on December 18, 2024 in Adiala Jail, after which the verdict was reserved.

Initially, December 23 was set as the date for the verdict announcement; however, the court postponed it to January 6.

This is the only case against Khan that has proceeded to trial for such an extended period.

The National Accountability Bureau arrested Khan on November 13, 2023, in connection with the case, and interrogated him for 17 days at the Adiala Jail. The case was “formally filed” in the accountability court on December 1, 2023.

Both Khan and Bibi were interrogated in the jail. Charges were framed against them on February 27, 2024.

The trial involved over 100 hearings. NAB initially presented a list of 59 witnesses, 24 of whom were subsequently dropped. Testimony was recorded from 35 witnesses, with Khan’s defence counsel completing cross-examination of all of them.

The defence also completed cross-examination of the investigating officer, Mian Umar Nadeem, after 38 hearings. Notable witnesses included former Principal Secretary Azam Khan, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak, former defence production minister Zubeida Jalal, and the Al-Qadir University chief financial officer.

The court declared six defendants, including Zulfi Bukhari, Farah Shahzadi, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, and Zia Mustafa Nasim, absconders and ordered the freezing of their assets and bank accounts.

While the Islamabad High Court granted bail to Khan, a trial court approved Bibi’s pre-arrest bail last year.

In the trial, Khan submitted a list of 16 witnesses in his defence, but the court rejected his request to call them. He later withdrew his request to present witnesses.

Background

Khan and his wife Bibi are accused of entering into a secret agreement with property tycoon through former PM’s aide Shahzad Akbar prior to the transfer of £190 million to Pakistan.

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The former prime minister allegedly used his influence to secure approval for the agreement from the federal cabinet. Akbar purportedly signed a confidentiality deed with the National Crime Agency on December 6, 2019.

On March 24, 2021, Bibi allegedly assisted the PTI founder by signing documents as a trustee for Al-Qadir University. Khan allegedly facilitated the amount through “illegal and dishonest means,” using the Supreme Court’s account by declaring the amount as a government asset via the secret agreement.

Moreover, both suspects allegedly acquired 240 kanals of land in Mohra Noor, Islamabad, through Farhat Shehzadi. They have been found involved in “corrupt practices.”