The accountability court ruling in the £190 million Al Qadir Trust case was expected as jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years and his wife seven years in jail, legal expert Aziz Nishtar said on Friday.

“A foreign country caught the money laundered and returned it to the Pakistan government, however, the government returned it to the thief by a certificate,” he told Aaj News via video link.

Nishtar, who had joined the news channel’s live streaming, alleged that the court and the government were involved in transferring the amount. He described it as “a shameful act.”

The Al Qadir “aspect was put into the case to complicate it further, however, it was a simple case,” the legal expert said.

“All the information regarding the case is available on the public domain such as media outlets and social media.”

The court ruling took a year to present a judgement, which could have been done earlier; however, it was complicated by additional cases, according to Nishtar.

He added that different cases were involved as the suspect in money laundering was caught and was supposed to be punished in the United Kingdom. But a deal was made to save the suspect, the expert alleged.

The arrangement was to be kept secret but the cabinet employed “collective corruption practices” to save the suspect, he claimed.

Nishtar was of the view that the Election Commission of Pakistan should look into the matter.

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He highlighted the state’s money was supposed to be transferred to the national exchequer but was “transferred into the personal account of Malik Riaz.”

Hence, he said that the fines levied on the property tycoon by the Supreme Court were to be paid by the money transferred. “The money returned by England was distributed among Malik Riaz, Bahria Town and other pet projects.”

The legal expert also expressed concerns over the role of the Supreme Court in the whole process.

Nishtar was of the view that Khan’s legal team would challenge the verdict.