Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan is unlikely to untangle his legal battles soon as an inquiry report has revealed that another Toshakhana case – involving the sale of state gifts – was registered against him.
In the new case, he is accused of illegally acquiring and selling at least seven luxury watches, retaining and selling 10 valuable gifts, diamond and gold sets, in violation of the rules.
According to the report, the gifts were “routinely sold” without properly declaring them as per the law. The expensive Graff watch set was also allegedly sold without “retention”.
The report alleged collusion between a private property valuation person and the buyer of the Graff watch as the former drastically underpriced it by Rs30 million, causing a loss to the national exchequer. The Graff watch was valued at more than Rs100 million, but only Rs20 million was deposited with the government – just 20% of the actual value.
The report emphasised that all gifts must be properly declared and deposited with Toshakhana first, as per the rules. Gifts worth up to Rs30,000 can be retained, but anything above that has to be deposited.
The National Accountability Bureau is investigating the new Toshakhana case against the former prime minister.
The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
The country’s top electoral authority’s order had said Imran stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
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“He is for the time being disqualified from being elected or chosen as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or of a Provincial Assembly under any law for the time being in force,” said the law which falls under the Disqualifications for membership of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).
Last month, the Islamabad High Court suspended the 14-year sentences handed out to Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana reference.
Imran and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in the reference by an Islamabad accountability court on January 31, days before the general elections. According to the verdict, Imran and Bushra were barred from holding any public office for 10 years and slapped with a fine of Rs787 million each.
