The verdict in the £190 million Al Qadir Trust case against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi was postponed for the third time on Monday.

The court staff did not share any specific reasons for delaying the announcement of the verdict till January 17.

Bibi’s legal team was in the court, however, both suspects were not in the court, Aaj News correspondent Waqar Saleem said.

Accountability court Judge Nasir Javed Rana expressed his concerns over the non-appearance of the legal teams of the two suspects even though he was in the court from 8:30am, reports said. The decision was announced at 10:40am.

“The scheduled time for the decision was set for 11am, but the judge appeared to be in a hurry and left the courtroom,” Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry told reporters outside Adiala Jail.

When asked, Chaudhry mentioned that the details would be revealed in the judicial order. The counsel confirmed that he would meet with his client later in the day.

Chaudhry noted that the absence of Bibi might have contributed to the postponement of the decision.

Earlier in the day, a district court in Islamabad rejected the bail applications of Khan’s wife.

The development comes amid Khan’s party’s negotiations with the government committee to bring the “political temperature” down.

On Sunday, PTI leaders met with their leaders after a long time. They confirmed that the third round of talks would be held where Khan’s side would present written demands to the government.

The delay in announcing the £190 million case judgement was not because of any foreign pressure or relief, anchorperson Javed Chaudhry said on Saturday.

“The delay in decision is for someone else with whom the state is engaging. They have no link to Khan. There is a space created so that those people should decide where they want to head,” he said while appearing on Rubaroo which was aired on Aaj News.

But the columnist warned that the decision would be announced if the jailed former PM kept on posting anti-army chief social media posts.

Verdict expected today

The staff of the accountability court has informed the former PM’s lawyers regarding the proceedings. The hearing for the reference was scheduled to 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.”

More to follow…