An accountability court in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail has indicated the potential cancellation of bail of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi who recently got freed after spending nine months in prison.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana said this while hearing the £190 million reference on Thursday.
Former prime minister Imran Khan was presented in the courtroom while Bushra Bibi was represented by her associate lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry.
Bibi was released on October 24 from the Adiala Jail following the Islamabad High Court granted bail to her in the new Toshakhana case. Special Judge (central) Shahrukh Arjumand had issued the release orders after her lawyers submitted a surety bond worth Rs1 million to the court.
A faith healer who has rarely been seen in public, Bibi wedded Khan shortly before he was elected in 2018 after becoming his spiritual guide.
She was arrested on January 31 – one week before Pakistan went to the polls. The charges against her in the illegal marriage case sparked uproar both among PTI supporters and wider society.
At the outset of the hearing, Chaudhry filed a request for Bibi to be excused from appearing in court on medical grounds, which was opposed by the prosecution team.
National Accountability Bureau prosecutor Amjad Pervaiz stated that neither the former first lady nor her lawyers appeared in court, despite the hearing being scheduled with their presence in mind. He added that if the lawyers were busy in the high court, they should have informed the court.
He stated that the application for exemption from attendance lacked signatures from Bibi and her lawyers. The prosecution has “no desire” for Bibi to appear at every hearing, but if she does not wish to attend, she should appoint a pleader, the NAB prosecutor added.
Also, read this
Imran Khan questions whether any ‘deal’ was made for his sisters’ bail
Hopes for release of Khan, Bibi dashed as both arrested in new state gifts case
Government afraid of ‘one prisoner’, says PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan
Pervaiz noted that while a medical exemption was being requested, no medical reports were presented. The NAB prosecutor accused Bibi of misusing her bail and called for a show-cause notice to be issued.
In response, the court remarked that if such an approach continues from the lawyers, the bail could be revoked, and warrants may be reissued.
Due to the absence of the former first lady’s lawyers, the investigation officer could not be cross-examined, leading the court to adjourn the hearing on the £190 million reference until tomorrow (Friday).
