ISLAMABAD: On Friday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) formally implicated former Prime Minister Imran Khan as an accused in the £190 million settlement case by filing a reference. A total of eight individuals have been named in the case, including Imran’s wife, Bushra Bibi, her associate Farhat Shahzadi (Farah Gogi), PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari, former accountability chief Shahzad Akbar, and Barrister Zia-ul-Mustafa Naseem.
This development follows the completion of NAB’s investigation, with the court subsequently placing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief on judicial remand in the case.
During the hearing on November 27, 2023, the accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir rejected NAB’s plea to extend Imran’s physical remand, opting instead for a 14-day judicial remand.
At the preceding hearing on November 24, 2023, the judge had instructed NAB to wrap up its investigation and submit a report.
The case revolves around the £190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement linked to the laundering of a property tycoon’s money, detected by UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019. The UK government informed Pakistani authorities about the seized funds, leading to Imran’s initial arrest on May 9.
Addressing Imran’s arrest at the time, then Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that, according to the law, the amount belonged to the Pakistani nation and should have been deposited in the national exchequer. Sanaullah alleged that Shahzad Akbar, then adviser to the prime minister, acting as a front-man, established the Al-Qadir Trust under a deal executed by him. The minister claimed that some properties were registered in the name of the trust and challenged Imran to clarify its establishment.
Sanaullah further disclosed that the 240-kanal land in Bani Gala, valued at around Rs5-7 billion, was registered in the name of Farah Gogi, a close friend of Imran Khan’s wife, and Akbar had received Rs2 billion for his services. Instead of depositing Rs60 billion into the national treasury, the amount was directed to the bank account of the Supreme Court, where the accused property tycoon was under trial, allegedly in a complex manner to deceive the public.
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