Islamabad, Oct 1: A Pakistani court on Monday rejected the bail pleas of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case, where they face allegations of misusing power to acquire state gifts.
Also called Toshakahna 2.0, the case filed this year by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is based on the allegation that the former first couple acquired a Bulgari (Bvlgari) jewellery set without depositing it in Toshakhana.
Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand announced the verdict on the bail pleas filed by the couple during a hearing inside the Adiala jail, where the former first couple also appeared.
The development comes as the duo is set to be indicted in the case on October 2 after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was barred from pursuing the matter and the case was transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in line with the Supreme Court’s verdict restoring amendments to the anti-corruption laws.
Khan, 71, was arrested on August 5 last year after his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Since then, he has been in jail in different cases.
The new Toshakhana case against the couple came to the fore after NAB arrested them shortly after a district and sessions court in Islamabad acquitted Khan and Bushra in the iddat case — also known as the un-Islamic nikah case.
During the hearing on Monday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi asserted that Khan obtained a Bulgari set worth Rs70 million for just Rs2.9 million.
The prosecutor alleged that Khan, during his tenure as the premier, undervalued the set’s market price at Rs 5.8 million and kept the gift without depositing it in the Toshakhana.
“According to the records, both items are valued at Rs71.5 million,” the prosecutor said, adding that the couple got it valued at Rs 5.8 million from a private firm.
He further claimed that the NAB acquired the original price of the set through the Foreign Office. The argument included details about the contents of the Bulgari set, which reportedly included a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and a ring.
Requesting the court to deny the couple’s bail plea, he said that the suspects also failed to submit the said jewellery set in the Toshakhana repository.
In response, Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, argued that the current case was similar to a previous reference involving the same allegations and argued that following the Supreme Court’s restoration of NAB amendments, the case should be dismissed.
The court then reserved its verdict and later announced it after a break in the hearing.
As per Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
Despite securing relief in several cases, the PTI founder remains behind bars after he was booked in the new Toshakhana case and other cases related to the May 9 mayhem. (PTI)
